Devour me
by LisaAbiona15
Summary: Was it normal for princesses and dragons to be friends and enemies all at once? Princess Regina waits in her tower, the dragon captured and made to guard her , her only constant companion. It's what all Princesses experience, waiting for the prince that manages to slay the dragon. Except, does Regina want him to come?
1. Chapter 1

**I still don't own OUAT.**

 **I still need to finish other stories, but instead I am writing new OUAT stories. Go figures. But I really liked writing this one/ I hope that you enjoy.**

" Your highness? I do hope this one is to your liking" the slimy hunter said, bowing to her. She followed the large, hairy hand to the chain it was holding and from there on to blue-grey eyes that promised suffering. She had to quell the urge to shout at the man when she saw the point where the further beautiful skin of the dragon was welling with dark blood.

" Thank you, Lord" she said politely, her cheeks aching with the effort to uphold a fake smile. Her eyes were still on the various gashes that dripped with blood and not on the man's unappealing face.

The man straightened, licking his lips and smiling at her in that slightly patronizing way. " Of course. Now, my- "

his hand went to his neck suddenly. Regina didn't have to glance to her right to know it was her mother's doing; that her mother was causing the man's eyes to bulge slightly, the brown to be taken over by the dark of his pupils, the sound that left those unappealing thin lips, the sweat that made his thinning hair stick to his forehead. With a sickening thud, the body hit the floor.

" Well. Go to your dragon, dear" Cora urged and for an insane moment, Regina felt a small spark of rebellion. She felt like saying no or better yet, freeing the dragon and flying away on it. Which would be glorious, magnificent, absolutely perfect-

apart from the small fact that the dragon would probably eat her or worse if she was foolish enough to free it.

She quelled the tiny spark and walked over to the dragon. She was a little surprised that it hadn't tried to fly away yet: the chain that was holding it captive might still be clung to be the hand of a cruel man, but the man didn't actually live anymore…

t _hen again, considering that this creature could easily carry a man far heavier than the hunter, it probably can't fly away because of something else. Magic, probably._

Regina took a careful step towards the dragon, trying very hard to ignore the corpse on the ground. Thanks to her mother, she was well-acquainted with Death. But that did _not_ mean she accepted it or no longer felt the pain whenever her mother mindlessly murdered someone.

Right now, Regina felt the same squeeze in her chest as when someone died: now that she was closer, it seemed like she had imagined the rage from earlier. The dragon's eyes had seemed like a stormy sky then, about to be dominated by thunder. Now, they seemed dull and lifeless. They were more grey than blue, as though the color had leaked out of this amazing creature.

Regina took another step towards it, vaguely away of her heartbeat slowing. _Beautiful.._ She carefully reached out her hand , her eyes studying the varying gashes on the creature's head, and inhaled the air smelling vaguely of smoke as-

" Regina!". She jumped a little, then. She had completely forgotten she was still in court. While not as bad as it would've been during other occasions ( only her mother and the most important officials were present, instead of let's say the entire kingdom) , she had still completely forgotten all about her location, her upbringing and quite possibly her name. All that had existed, was the creature breathing in front of her.

" don't come to close to it, its magic is unpredictable. It could be hypnotizing you".

Cora snapped a command at someone, an official or a servant or perhaps even Regina's dad but Regina hardly heard. It felt like her head was submerged under water. She glanced behind her, where Cora was waving and ordering and someone looked like they were about to cry and faint. She didn't seem to be paying attention.

She glanced back at the dragon and took a tiny step towards it. She raised her hand, that felt like there were weights attached to it, and held her breath until the tip of her finger touched skin. Exhaling, she slowly stroked it with one finger, studying its eyes to see whether it was okay with it. It- nodded! It did, Regina _saw_ it.

She tore her eyes away from the captivating blue-grey. Partly because it felt like drowning. Partly because it made her eyes sting, the sorrow she saw in those pools. She focused instead on the warm, oddly textured skin beneath her finger. She couldn't really describe it. But if she had to, she would say that it was like petting a snake with one hand and a fish with the other.

Even odder, Regina felt like there was something leaving the dragon's body and entering hers. That was the best way to describe it and it confused Regina, because it was still a terrible way to describe it. She was quite sure that she would feel the feeling slipping away from her the moment she retracted her fingers ( she didn't remember making the decision, but she was now touching the dragon with four fingers) and didn't want to. It felt good, no –

It felt _right_

She took another tiny step towards the dragon, who turned its head towards her and stared right at her- oh, _oh._ Waves crashing over her, foam in her mouth, being hit by lightning and –

" REGINA" someone yelled her name at the same time that strong arms grabbed her and pulled her away from the dragon. Regina felt numb, her eyes still glued to the dragon , her brain still not really registering the sounds of people around her. That's when a guard stepped forward.

Regina released a scream the dragon couldn't let escape the gag around its mouth when one of the guards whipped the dragon. Regina shook when the dragon turned its body slightly away from the punishing whip and the guard just whipped harder, and harder, and harder until the whip was partly covered in dragon blood.

" Stop it!" she commanded , pulling free from the arms behind her. " It wasn't hurting me, stop it!" she stalked towards the guard and grabbed the whip when the guard pulled back in order to whip the creature again .

"Regina" just that one word, but it managed to feel like the whip she was holding, had just struck her all over her bare back.

" It wasn't. Mother".

" It wasn't yet" her mother corrected , sounding almost bored. Leave it to her to not care about Regina getting hurt.

Regina ignored her mother as she threw the whip away and edged towards the dragon. It had its head slightly bent, hardly noticeable , but Regina was used to noting weakness. Not only had her mother forced her to learn to notice it (" it's very useful dear) but she had been learned from a young age what exactly tipped her mother off that Regina was terrified or –worse- 'begging' for love.

She bend and removed the chain from the corpse's hand. She had to swallow bile several times. The moment the chain was in her hand, it glowed and seemed to wrap around her hand for a moment before relaxing again. She hardly noticed.

With it still in her hand , she took a small step towards the dragon.

" Regina. You will be brought towards the tower, _separately_ from the beast" her mother's cold voice forced her attention away from the dragon.

Before she could say one word of protest, her father was next to her and gently tugging her with him. She risked one look over her shoulder, her chest suddenly too small for her lungs heart whatever else there was when the dragon bend its head slightly more and stepped backwards when two guards prodded it with spears.

It was only at the door, where a guard asked for it, that she remembered that the chain was still in her hand. It felt almost like parting with a dear friend, having to hand it over.

 **One month later, the tower, somewhere in Cora's kingdom**

Regina didn't know whether it was normal. She saw the sky turn every color imaginable and the stars appear. She read and wrote and did anything not to die of boredom. That might have been normal (most princesses spent at least a year in their tower after all) but what Regina suspected wasn't normal was the following.

Whenever the sky turned every color imaginable, the dragon's head appeared in front of her window and Regina petted it, delighted but also terrified by the rush of that indefinable thing she felt. And whenever the stars appeared, she called to the dragon. It would rest its head on the window still where Regina would sit and tell stories. Sometimes she fell asleep and would wake with the dragon inches away from her, the warm breath leaving its nostrils a gentle caress and its body heat a welcome reprieve from the cold. Sometimes she woke in her bed (with no memory of getting there) and the dragon would be hunting.

Was it normal for princesses and dragons to be friends and enemies all at once?

Right now, with her back against the wall ( she had dragged some pillows over, but it still wasn't exactly comfortable) and a book about the kingdom's long history on her lap, she looked at the sunlight hitting her dragon's scales and wondered whether it was normal to wish for your dragon to have a voice.

She forced her attention back to her book, but her eyes kept slipping towards the flashes of black she saw from the corner of her eyes. It should be horrifying, a large and incredibly dangerous creature hunting… grabbing deer and such with lethal claws… ripping them apart.

But it wasn't. Truth is, what little terror she had felt for the creature was gone now. It might still be lurking somewhere in the back of her mind, pushing to the front whenever the creature reminded her of just how dangerous it was ( like when it curled around the tower and scratched the walls. Presumably to sharpen its nails) but she didn't really feel it anymore.

Instead, she smiled faintly as the dragon caught and devoured its prey. Enjoying how it flew around, how free and magnificent it looked in the fading light. It really was a beautiful creature, with the agile body and the wings that were like a piece of art.

She kind of wished she could see it breathe fire, but that was impossible. The chain that bound the dragon to this spot (the tower as well as some miles away from it) also kept the gag on when there wasn't a prince to roast. And the couple of times that it had breathed fire at foolish princes, Regina had woken too late or it had been too far away.

The sound of the creature landing woke Regina from her thoughts and she looked down at her dragon. It was at the foot of the tower, laying down in the tall grass that surrounded it. Normally it would come to her window, but perhaps it first wanted to rest for a while.

 _I wonder why it's not partaking in our little ritual. Not that it has to, or that it's anything but foolish what we are doing-_

A prince would come. A prince would survive. And the dragon would die

 _But I still like it. I like talking to it, feeling understood. It's smart, that's clear. And I know a bit about dragons, even if they are elusive creatures. They do understand human language. They even have human form, human voices._

Regina yawned, blinked and snuggled into the warm pillows at her back. She drew the blankets a little tighter around her.

 _I wish I could hear hers. I want to know what she sounds like_

That was the last thing Regina thought before her eyes fully closed, the book slipped from her lap and landed next to a brooding dragon and her body became limp. Her breathing became even and deep as she slipped deeper and deeper into the land of dreams.

While the sky around the tower darkened, and the sun sunk and the stars rose, the chain around Regina's wrist began to glow gently. The magic floated down , from the princess' wrist, to where the dragon's head was resting on its paws. It lazily opened one eye at the familiar scent of magic.

When it saw where the magic was coming from, it seemed to smirk. If anyone in the perimeters had been able to read thoughts , it would've heard w _ell well, isn't the princess full of surprises_ and then seen a large shadow fly towards a lone figure at the window, sunken in a pile of pillows.

Regina made a small sound in the back of her throat, either of protest or contentment, when someone stroked her cheek. She sighed , snuggled deeper in the glorious warmth of her pillows. For once, she hadn't been having nightmares. Instead , she had dreamt of flying, of the wind freezing her cheeks and laugh stuck in her throat. The dragon had felt wonderful beneath her.

" If you don't wake up now, I will be forced to kiss you awake" a seductive voice suddenly said and Regina opened her eyes quickly, immediately gasping out " where is my drag-?". The _on_ was stuck in her throat when faced with the woman leaning over her, full lips inches away from Regina's own.

 _Those eyes…_

Regina may not recognize the tall, well-built body or the mess of blonde hair of this woman, but she would recognize the eyes everywhere. As well as the dress the woman was wearing. One of hers.

When the dragon saw Regina's eyes widen , she sniffed the dress without breaking eye contact with her princess. " Hmm it smells of you" she purred.

" Well, I d-did wear it yesterday" Regina retorted, trying to summon the dignity and slight arrogance of a princess, but feeling far more like a fish in the mouth of a bear. The dragon was still leaning over her and now she was getting closer again. Regina's heart nearly jumped out of her chest.

" It doesn't smell as… " Regina actually felt a little faint as the dragon licked her lips slowly while raking her eyes over Regina " d _electable_ as you though".

" Have you already eaten?" Regina blurted out, frantically trying to remember when and if dragons ate humans. Yes. In human form? Don't know.

The woman laughed. " Calm down, little one. I ate plenty yesterday".

" Oh that's good. So you don't want some bread.. or perhaps an apple?".

" No".

Regina's mouth opened to say something, but she forgot her words when the dragon stroked her cheek again. She wetted her lips and tried again. " Why are you doing that?"

.

The dragon shrugged. " I like it".

" Oh".

" And you like it, so there is no reason to not do it".

" Who says I like it?".

" You closed your eyes and sighed. I am not an expert in human behavior but even I know that signals contentment".

Regina didn't know what to say, so she was silent for a while , indeed enjoying the stroke of fingers. She was almost drifting back to sleep when the dragon carefully pressed down on her.

She gasped. " sshh" the dragon whispered, stroking Regina's hair. _Is it a myth that dragons have an obsession with human hair? That they use it to build nests?_

" You stroked me, that first day" the dragon suddenly said, twisting Regina's hair around her finger.

Regina swallowed, with difficulty. " I wouldn't say stroke, more like .. ".

The dragon chuckled. " Call it what you want. You were afraid that first day".

" I am not afraid"

"I was talking about that first day". The dragon bended her head a little so she her lips pressed against Regina's ear. She could feel them move as the dragon whispered " your heart is racing today. But I don't think that's fear…".

 **So I am going to stop here. I am tired, but I also have a feeling that this is the right moment to stop. If anyone wants me to continue, I would be glad to.**


	2. Chapter 2

The dragon bended her head a little so she her lips pressed against Regina's ear. She could feel them move as the dragon whispered " your heart is racing today. But I don't think that's fear…".

Regina couldn't think. The dragon wasn't heavy on her but her hot breath was doing things to the princess she really didn't know what to think of. She didn't think she was afraid either, but she was shivering nonetheless. Her stomach felt weird too, like all the muscles were contracting. Plus, her mouth suddenly felt like she hadn't drunk anything for the duration of a sleeping curse.  
The dragon pulled back, still playing with Regina's hair, and smiled lazily. Regina's heart went from thud… thud… thud to thudthudthudthud at the sight of that small, satisfied smile coupled with a look Regina really didn't know what to make of.

" I am not afraid" Regina finally managed to say, just when the Dragon was bending towards her again. The dragon halted, hovering above Regina. She was close enough that the princess could smell the dragon's own unique scent – a simmering fire coupled with something that reminded Regina of pine trees as well as feel the warmth of her breath. It should be terrifying , but the only terrifying thing was how much Regina enjoyed the closeness.

The dragon chuckled. "So you have told me several times". Before Regina could react to that- preferably with something witty, but that seemed a little impossible right now- the dragon gently pushed Regina's hair behind her ear and –

 _What- oh_

Pressed her lips to soft skin as she inhaled deeply. " Hm.. " she exhaled and Regina shivered again as goose bumps erupted everywhere. Her thoughts were stumbling over each other, her heart was still going thudthudthudthud and she kept licking her lips because they were so dry.

 _Is this some sort of magic? Meant to keep the prey helpless while they eat-_

Regina struggled to pull her thoughts together. She inhaled deeply, but that was the worst mistake she could have made. It just made the dragon's scent a lot more obvious, as well as making it easier to feel the dragon's chest move against her own. They were really close.

Learning from her mistake, Regina took short, small breaths before placing her hands on the dragon's shoulders and preparing to push her off. She faltered when the dragon's long, sharp fingernail scratched behind her ear.

" Do you like that?".

" T-that's inappropriate".

" It is ? I have to admit, I have not bothered to learn all about humans so you might have to instruct me on that particular subject".

" Well firstly, most humans would be quite insulted that you take such liberties".

" Hm. Are you one of the 'most' you speak off?".

" I am not insulted, but I do wish you to remove your body from mine".

" why? You like it , don't you?".

Regina tried to look very hard like she wasn't enjoying it. She just needed space, to think. She also needed to know whether it was the dragon's innate magic- like her ability to hypnotize people- that was making Regina feel warm and incredibly comfortable but she didn't want to ask. She also didn't want to think about why she didn't want to ask.

" It's not - … it is not the most terrible thing". She looked at the wall pointedly, hiding her slightly flushed cheeks. " I suppose".

The dragon chuckled. " You're a bad liar".

Regina managed an eye roll. " Perhaps you just want me to be".

" Hm. Whatever you want to believe, little human" .

" It's not what I want to believe, it's the truth. Now, get off me" Regina tried to be haughty and commanding, but obviously failed when the dragon just laughed. "As you wish" she finally said, pushing herself off Regina.

As the dragon sauntered over to the mirror in the corner of the tower, Regina pushed herself in a sitting person and took a deep breath. It felt odd , almost like missing/longing, without the dragon's warmth near her.

 _She felt so safe_

Shaking that thought from her stubborn head, that was apparently hell-bent on liking a dangerous predator, Regina focused on the Dragon again. She had turned around and was now holding the box that Regina kept her jewelry in.

 _Is she obsessed with gold, like I've always heard?_

The dragon tried on several items, but Regina didn't see the glint she had often seen in the greedy eyes of men and women that visited her mother's court. Regina herself found the woman trying to figure out what to do with the items in her hand far more enchanting than the yellow or red from precious metals/gemstones though.

Now that Regina wasn't frozen beneath the creature anymore, she could study it. She was as entranced as she had been from the moment she had seen the dragon; even in human form, her dragon was special and attractive with an air of danger.

" Why did you take on a human form?" she finally asked, after studying the curls and the blue-grey eyes and the tall form.

"You don't approve?" she asked, gesturing at herself.

" Oh no! You're amazing. Your other form is absolutely gorgeous , but this one.. it suits you" Regina quickly said, trying to keep from gushing and failing mostly.

The dragon smirked. " Good" She dropped the jewelry box , the jewels falling out of it and rolling over the floor. Then she sauntered towards Regina, towering over her with those eyes fixed on the princess that raised her head and fought not to succumb to the most enchanting eyes she had ever seen.

 _Hypnotic, capable of breaking even a strong will_ she remembered what she had read about the power of dragon eyes. And it was true; she felt like being succumbed in water, like all her limbs were loosening or she had no longer control over them…  
She also felt like she could fight back: yes, she felt captivated and a little weak but she didn't feel like the books describe it. She didn't feel her mind go blank, nor any inclination to do something odd .

" You. You wished to hear my voice..".

Regina inhaled sharply. " That .. worked?" She gasped. She had wished so many different things, she had so often asked the fairies to free her or to at least give her a way to free herself.. and this was the wish they decided to grant?

Oh she was trembling with fury (all those years locked away and forced to do her mother's bidding and they couldn't grant her the smallest wishes, like more time with her dad?) but she was also a little glad. It was a beautiful gift, to be able to actually talk to the dragon.

" Yes. It was not the work of those loathsome little winged people though" she rolled her eyes and – even though Regina felt a little bad about it- she was kind of glad that her Dragon seemed to share Regina's .. distaste for the fairies.

" But if it wasn't the fairies, then how- ".

" Your mother, the queen –" a quick look of anger flashed through the dragon's eyes and Regina was even happier than normal that she wasn't her mother because that look was terrifying- " is one of the most powerful human sorcerers. Don't you think it would be logical that her daughter inherited some of that ability?".

Regina inhaled sharply, her stomach dropping; her heart seized; every nerve seemed to have been touched. " No. I am not – " _evil. I love mom, she isn't evil. How could I think that?_

The dragon smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. They didn't smile , studying the young woman that looked like she had been just been told that her entire family had perished in flames. " No, you are not like her. You're less cold, less obsessed with power".

" Less?" Regina said, sounding very offended.

The dragon chuckled. " Well, you can come across as the tiniest bit of frosty sometimes".

" Did you just call my mot-".

" You can't deny that" .

" You do realize that you're betraying your-".

" _my_ queen?" the dragon's voice suddenly lowered, became more of a growl. Her eyes were that stormy grey again and Regina suddenly felt a lot less like she would be able to resist. Her eyes glowed for a second, like they were a window with a fire behind them.

" That … human… cockroach is not my queen. Dragons don't have queens" she hissed and Regina remembered. Dragons were free creatures. They sometimes hunted in small groups or got together to reproduce, but they were mostly solitary. They didn't have kingdom, empires.

" It doesn't matter whether you think she is your queen or not, when the result will still be your heart turned to dust!" Regina exclaimed, startled by the fear she heard in her voice. Not that it was there, but because it was for the dragon.

" You think-".

" She caught you. You're going to be killed" Regina said, looking away from piercing eyes.

" Don't write me off that easily" the dragon said, her voice steady and confident. _Arrogant._

" If a .. prince.. won't kill you, my mother will". Regina felt sick when she even thought of it, but she forced herself to speak. " or worse, she will use your heart to control you".

" She won't be able to".

" She was before. She already captured one of your kind and used her" Regina said, remembering the day that had happened. She still felt her throat close, both because the pained, beaten look in that other dragon's eyes had been horrifying and because she remembered the punishment her mother had given her when she had caught Regina going through her collection of hearts to frantically search for the dragon's heart.

" Just because she managed to caught one, doesn't mean-".

" But you're already caught!".

" Do you want to use me? " the dragon suddenly asked, grabbing Regina's hand and placing it on her chest. She could feel it move with every heartbeat.

" No, of course not" Regina said, trying to remove her hand. The dragon just pressed it down even more.

" Can you rip out hearts?".

"No. And I don't want to!"

" Well then I don't know where you get the idea that your mother would be able to control me". _Because she controls me. Because I love her , but I also hate what she does to people and I can't stop her. My father can't. The court can't. Can you?_

The dragon stared into Regina's eyes for a while, long enough for Regina to feel like the dragon's breath was smoke and she was breathing it in. Then the woman stroked Regina's cheek gently. " You're just as captured as I am, hm".

Regina moved her face away from these enchanting eyes and those hands that kept playing with her hair or touching her face. " I have no idea where you're talking about".

The dragon arched an eyebrow. " Of course you don't. What did your mother teach you about magic?".

" Nothing. Apart that it hurts " The last part was very quiet, an afterthought, but the dragon heared of course. " Ah. Of course she wouldn't want her daughter to be able to challenge her.

I will have to teach you then".

Regina tried to pull her hand back again. This time, the dragon lets her. " I don't want to learn magic!".

" Don't you want to be free?" the dragon said and normally Regina would've thought she was just being manipulative. But it was the longing, the pain and empathy in those four letters that made it anything but manipulation. Regina's eyes went to the dragon's neck, where there's a steel band even in human form. It's tight and imbued with magic.

" Do you think I-".

"That you can free me? Possibly. Your body is practically vibrating with magic, it's pouring out of you. If you learned to control it.." the dragon left the possibilities hanging in the air. Regina was very tempted to snatch them, but she could never forget.

"Magic.. it's horrible" she whispered, thinking of the glowing red of all those hearts her mother ripped out, of the feeling of choking even though there is nothing around your neck, of the tears in the dragon's eyes…


	3. Chapter 3

**I don't own OUAT. I have also temporarily removed the chapter with Robin in it to work on that :) [ and deleted like two paragraphs from chapter 2] I hope you enjoy this new chapter!**

" _Magic.. it's horrible" she whispered, thinking of the glowing red of all those hearts her mother ripped out, of the feeling of choking even though there is nothing around your neck, of the tears in the dragon's eyes…_

The dragon just studied her for a while, then gentle grabbed her hand- only to release it as soon as Regina managed to stop hearing the soft thudding of too many taken hearts. She watched the dragon's eyes flutter shut, then saw her breathe in deeply. As she breathe out, there was a little puff of smoke. Regina opened her mouth to ask what she was doing, but the dragon just held up her hand like 'just watch'.

So she did.

Breathing in , out, in out, in , out and then- when the sky was filled with fire, she muttered something , made a gesture and - finally the smoke started to change. Regina almost wanted to reach out and touch the gentle orange-red fire shaped like blossoming flowers. Then her dragon inhaled again and the new fire reminded Regina of the stars she had persuaded the dragon to gaze at with her.

" Beautiful.." she breathed, turning her hands into fists to hopefully stop the need to touch.

The dragon chuckled, then stepped towards her. She gentle raised her own hand, touched the 'leaves' of the nearest flower. Her hand moved down, until she was holding the flower carefully between two fingers.

Then she stepped towards Regina and offered it to her with a small smile. Regina just stared at it- _Dragons are resistant to fire, apparently also in human form._ She was reminded of a fight years back, after another nobleman( one she was almost certain was closer in line to the throne than her dad had ever been) went missing. Her arm throbbed in remembrance (there was no scar. Her mother would never allow any part of her to be 'tainted')

" It will burn me"

The dragon arched an eyebrow. " Do you honestly believe I would offer it to you if there was even a tiny part of me that believes it would burn you? ".

" I- humans burn. We are not like your kind, we cannot touch fire without- ".

"I've r _oasted_ humans before, don't you think I know that? " she held the flower a little closer to Regina. " It is enchanted. It cannot hurt you".

Regina stared at the flower for one more moment, then looked at literally hypnotic eyes. There was none of that moon-influencing-the-tide feeling though, just almost gentle eyes that made it impossible to think the woman was lying.

She felt the little hairs on the back of her neck raise as their skin touched. It was difficult to pull her hand away, she only wanted to get closer. But she managed and stared at the flower that was now in her hand.

She was used to fire hurting, to the sharp burn and how sleeping was difficult when the part of your skin touched by fire just kept hurting. She wasn't used to this; a gentle warmth not unlike that of a warm bath, or a blanket during the winter.

" Thank you" she managed , staring at the glowing flower warming her hands.

" It can be kept for long periods of time. You can wear it in your hair, if you'd like".

" In my _hair_ ".

Regina glanced at the dragon, just long enough to glance her – w _hy did she just lick her lips like that? Is she thinking of eating me?_ She quickly refocused her attention on the flower in her hands, studying the little details.

The fire seemed to change colour every second she looked at it. Not drastically, but enough to notice; it was the colour of gold, the colour of the sunrise, the colour of straw.. The warmth and light changes with it, fading or adding in intensity.

She is so focused on it that she only notes the dragon when there is that familiar smell of smoke and pine. Then she also felt like she was standing very close to a fire . And finally there was that odd sensation when the woman's skin brushed her as she plucked the flower from Regina.

" Is it true that you have a fascination with hair? " she asked upon noting the dragon's intense focus on her own.

Her eyes still on Regina's hair, she chuckled. " Well…" once again, she twisted a lock around her finger. " It is certainly.. fetching" .

She held the flower up. " May I?".

Regina bit her lip for a moment, then nodded. She told herself to just look away from those eyes, but they were still focused on her hair. At first. Until she pulled back and lingered close to Regina's face. Her fingers were still in Regina's hair, she could feel them as they brushed through it.

The dragon smirked, then exhaled slowly. Regina felt her lips tingle at the same time that she tasted the smoke. She licked her lips. " What d-do you think you are doing?" she was going for unimpressed annoyance, but her voice came out a lot different.

"Showing you the merits of fire" another puff of smoke, hot but not burning. Regina pulled back, feeling like the smoke had touched her cheeks as well. The dragon sighed, her fingers in Regina's hair tightening. " You are far too weary of it"

And she leaned in again, the warmth touching Regina's cheek as she turned her head away from the dangerous eyes. She placed her hands on the dragon's chest, hesitated – _it feels good?_ – and then pushed. She thought it was more the shock than any actual force that made the dragon stagger backwards.

" What kind of game are you playing?".

" A fun one" the dragon slid closer again, a heart-stopping smirk playing at her lips. " For the _both_ of us".

Regina held herself very, very still as the dragon's lips pressed to her cheek. She inhaled sharply as she could feel the – _magic? Fire?_ – spreading, touching all her nerve endings. She was struck with the most peculiar combination; wanting to sink into the feeling at the same time that her stomach protested at the thought of fire and magic.

She kept silent, which was probably why the dragon repeated the action. At the same time that her eyes fluttered close, she could feel her stomach react as though she had eaten rotten chimerea.

The dragon pulled back. Regina's eyes slowly opened again and she thought she could see concern flit across those eyes, like a fish jumping out of the water for a moment before disappearing again. Those fingers left her hair for her chin.

The only sound was Regina's own harsh breathing – she didn't even know whether it was her usual reaction to fire/magic or whatever this creature had been invoking in her – and then a gentle sigh.

The dragon pulled back completely, then turned around to study the fire flowers. Regina tried to be quiet about pulling herself together. As soon as she felt less like a fawn, she approached the infuriating _fascinating_ woman.

" You cannot – you cannot just do things like that!".

She turned around, arching her eyebrow. " I was merely attempting to make you see, little princess that fire is not just dangerous".

" Do not call me that. And I never asked you to!".

" No, but just imagine what you could do if you understood fire is more than just scorching".

The dragon suddenly marched over to the dressing table, grabbing a mirror. Regina almost stepped back at the look in her eyes when she prowled towards her. " Just imagine " Regina was about to argue that fire 'burns down villages and innocents' when she saw her own face.

More specifically, she saw the flower in her hair.

" now it is just being an ornament, something that heightens your value".

Regina carefully touched the flower, striking against her dark hair. And – " it doesn't hurt "she marvelled.

"You already knew that. Fire can be your protection, if you would wish it to be".

Regina feels suddenly tempted to snatch the flower from her hair and throw it far, far away. " I won't use magic. I won't hurt anyone" she insists.

The dragon grabs her hand before it reaches the flower. " I am not asking you to hurt people. I am proposing that we escape".

Regina's eyes go that dreadful collar again. Swallowing hurts her own throat at the thought of being forced to wear something like that, at the idea that you have to feel that sick sensation that dark magic brings- like tiny needles sinking into your flesh, and ice on your skin- constantly.

 _She must hurt so terribly. Is there anything dragons love more than their freedom?_

" I would like to help you, but I won't use magic. Magic corrupts".

There is a wry smile and something not unlike pity in those cool eyes. " Don't blame the magic for what your mother has become".

" Magic made her – " and there are many words for mother, words brave (or very foolish) people sometimes whisper. Words like cold, cruel, merciless and even _evil ._ But they are not words Regina will ever use. She has the bone-and-even-soul deep feeling that some things her mother does are wrong. Her body is telling her ; that time she caught her momma with a heart for the first time, she felt seasick. As mom snapped necks or threw fires or demanded people to be brought to the dungeon, she felt she like she had been thrown from a horse mid-gallop. Whenever her mother had invisible bounds cutting into her throat, she felt more than just not being able to breathe, she also looked at her dad because she somehow knew he was supposed to stop it.

But she would never call her evil.

" Magic made her wrong" is all she says, tiredly.

" Magic cannot make a person _that._ ".

" Don't- " .

The dragon grabs Regina's chin, yanks her forward. " Do you think I am like that? Cruel and vicious, not caring who gets hurt as long as I have _power_?".

There is a blazing fire and that voice now makes Regina shiver as well as blink furiously . For the first time, there is nothing the dragon is holding back. Her eyes are on fire with strong emotions and her voice trembles even if it is like steel.

Then the fire cools a little. " Do you think I can hurt like her?".

" You burn people. That is a horrible thing to do" Regina offers, in a quiet voice.

"Yes. I do things you likely disapprove off. But what your mother does- " she shakes her head. " She takes away personhood. She takes free will and autonomy and _everything._ She treats people like chess pieces, or puppets". She slowly lets go of Regina. ' And _that_ is something I would never do".

" But she is only doing that because she has magic".

" Magic creates the opportunity, not the intent. If she didn't _want_ to do those things, there is no magic in the world that would force her- not as long as she has free will ".

" But _magic_ is what makes her want those things".

" Your mother has an ambition like sickness. She is addicted to power, always needs more. Magic has made it worse, but it is not magic that turned your mother into the woman she is now".

" You don't know my mother" Regina persisted, stepping forward.

" I wish I didn't".

" No, you don't know her. You've only heard stories and they're- ".

The dragon laughed. It was not a happy laugh, it was one that had every instinct in Regina push her to pull back(she didn't). The dragon leaned forward, all teeth. " I have _lived_ those stories".

Regina felt- she didn't know what she felt. She felt a lot of painful moments added up, moments like finding hearts or crying kids in villages burned or the screams coming from the dungeons or the soft touch of someone she would actually choose- knowing it is the last time.. everything she felt during those moments was now cramped into her body.

Her heart was not just gone. The dragon's back was a landscape of scars, a story of torture. Regina recognized some scars- like the ones obviously made by whips- but there were many she didn't. Her mind supplied her with images of what she had glimpsed in her mothers' room, but she had a horrible suspicion that she had never seen the worst of what mother could do. (this was something magic didn't seem able to heal and her mother's punishments for Regina were always things magic would heal later, because Cora could not have an 'ugly' daughter)

Without thinking, she reached for the dragon. Her hand was just touching the first scar – a thick line not unlike claw marks on a tree- , her only thought _I wish I could help_ when her hands started tingling. Her vision was slightly blurred, but she could still see the scar- not healing really, but becoming less pronounced.

The dragon inhaled sharply, then sagged against her. " Whatever you are feeling, focus on it. Hold on to it" she instructed.

Regina wanted to. She did. She stared at the lines and wished them gone, but- _I am using magic_. She staggered backwards at that thought, staring at her hands like they were covered in blood.

" Prince-".

" How do I make it stop?".

"It is nothing bad, it is healing-".

" How. Do. I. MAKE IT STOP" Regina screamed and for a moment, all the flowers that were still around them changed into something- the closest she got to describing them was hellfire.

" You are an amateur. You cannot hold it forever, using magic demands either extremely strong emotion or concentration ".

Regina closed her eyes and imagined her mother. Imagined the disappointed, vaguely ominous expression she got whenever Regina slouched or did anything else Cora deemed 'unacceptable'. _Just imagine that mother is attempting to use your emotions against again. Just close off._

Five minutes later, she was decidedly more calm and anyone looking at her could've believed her face to be made of stone. The rush of relief she felt when the magic seemed to flutter off was invisible to the sorceress in front of her.

"Good".

Regina was still staring at her hands when the dragon reached for them. She turned them over. " Do you see that?".

" What?"

" There is no blood. Spotless".

" I used magic" Regina laughed, " I u-used magic" She felt breathless, but in a horrible way.

" Yes, but don't you see? Magic is not inherently bad or good. It is merely magic. You were using it to heal, not harm".

Regina ripped her hands away. " Will you- " she paced a couple times, and usually this would be when she would get Rocante and just ride and forget for a moment. " stop attempting to make me want to use magic? "

" I am not asking you to use it indefinitely, just to learn the skill so you can help us both".

" You don't even know whether I would be able to free you".

" Well , it is better than waiting in this brick prison until some moron is fortunate and throws his sword through my heart!".

"I do not wish to use magic".

" But you wish to marry someone you do not even know and be his? ".

" Of course not!".

" I promise you, you won't become like Cora".

There was just a long moment where they stared at each other, the dragon seemingly cool and collected – until you looked at her eyes and felt like being hit by a storm- and Regina filled with what if's.

Finally, she nodded. " I will allow you to teach me. But if there is even the slightest chance I give in to darkness, we will stop".

"Very well, shall we- ".

" There is one more thing".

Her dragon merely arched an eyebrow. Regina hesitated - _will she take it as a risk or a threat? Her kind supposedly believes knowing such a thing gives a person unimaginable power over them .. -_ but she persisted. " I would like to know your name".

The dragon's nostrils flared, her eyes turned golden, her skin started to ripple and turn into scales. Regina forced herself to meet those eyes, even if they made her head ache and her organs twist.

"You dare to ask for my name?".

" It is just awkward to not be able to call you by your name".

" Asking for my name is the dragon equivalent of handing your own and only weapon to someone. Names are sacred, and dangerous".

" I would never use it against you".

" Wouldn't you? What if I were attacking a village or hunting a human or doing anything you disapprove of?".

" I would find some other way to help those people".

"One day , there would be no other way".

" Well, what am I supposed to call you then!".

" I am not giving you my true name "" .

" Give me a fake one then, or a nickname".

Her dragon grimaced. " Nicknames?".

" Like a shortened version of your name".

Her dragon sighed. After another tense, long silence, she finally nodded. "Very well. You can call me 'Mal , if you must".

" Mal…" on a whim, she curtsied. " I am delighted to make your acquaintance. My name is Regina".

The dragon stared at her, almost puzzled. " Your humans are very odd creatures" .

" I really do not think we are odd".

" You speak of love like it is the highest form of magic, but betray it for power. You shun magic or use it in worst , most useless ways. You destroy each other lands and your own kin without reason".

" Don't dragons fight each other?".

" Rarely. And definitely not without good reason, like your species seem intent on doing".

"Not all of us" Regina says softly

Mal is silent and still like stone, then smiles. Very slowly. "No, not all of you " she agrees.


	4. Chapter 4

**I don't own OUAT.**

 _Dragons are elusive creatures, studying them is both a time-consuming and dangerous activity. But what is even more rare than surviving multiple encounters, is seeing them in their human forms. We know they have them- but that is almost all that we know._

Regina had all her knowledge about dragons from two books, the only two that had been in their library. There had been a lot of passages like " it is assumed' , 'we suspect' and one of the books had been rather small. Her mother did not necessarily approve of her reading – a wife has other duties Regina- but she had been particularly chagrined when Regina had inquired about dragons.

Still, she had had a need to know more, justified- in her own mind- by the fact that she would soon share a tower with one. So she had not let Cora's snide words or her teachers' gentle persuasion stop her, sneaking towards the library one night when Cora was holding council( Regina was never invited, not when the involved were sorcerers, giants and trained murderers).

The first time she looked at the books, she had honestly thought Cora had decided that Regina wasn't allowed to learn too much and there were piles of books on the subjects hidden in Cora's chambers ( or worse, the west wing she knew her mother kept her spellbooks and had seen Cora's worst enemies as well as terrifying beings brought to) .

Later, she discovered dragons were an ultimate source of annoyance for her mother. Through the gossip mill as well as Cora herself, she learned that dragons truly were as elusive and dangerous as the books warned; her mother had sent many (warriors, scientists, even _sorcerers_ ) to any place that dragons had been spotted, had promised heavy sums of magic- Regina suspected she had also offered any of the objects she kept in the west wing- and send messages across her own kingdom as well as neighbouring-

But only a few had returned. Sometimes, it was well-known that anyone Cora had send, had been burned or eaten. Other times, they just did not return and no one knew what had happened.

(once , Regina had heard about a dragon who had fallen in love with a bounty hunter. But Cora had sneered and said that it was all 'idiotic and impossible')

It was why humans – and even someone as powerful and relentless as Regina's own mother- knew so little about dragons. The royalty had found it was not impossible to capture dragons, sure – although it often cost many lives- and they had even started the practise of having one of 'their' dragons guard their princesses, but even caught and enslaved, dragons were fierce and strong.

They did not give up their secrets.

 _Perhaps that is why I am so fascinated_ Regina thought, lowering her book to glance at the slumbering form curled around her. Mal was in human form, exhausted after hunting and teaching and trying to stay awake as long as possible. She made little sounds in the back of her throat – _I would never have expected you to be adorable_ – and radiated warmth as she pressed against Regina.

Regina smiled, feeling absurdly proud that Mal had reached the point where she trusted Regina enough to sleep curled around her. It had been a trust that had slowly been developed, a trust that was necessary between a learning sorceress and her teacher.

Still, it made Regina feel special and treasured. She was certain that the sometimes cold dragon did not lower her walls like this for any human (in fact, she seemed to loathe most humans- perhaps even all). She knew Mal had good reason to distrust humans, even if she felt like Mal had yet to tell the whole story. Mal did not like talking about the past, teased her that 'such emotive conversations are such a human thing. Dragons are not as sensitive as your kind, we have thicker skin'.

Really, Regina thought dragons just lived a really lonely life.

Mal yawned and pressed closer to her, then slowly started to pushed herself up and rested her chin on Regina's shoulder. She kissed her cheek- Regina really thought she only did that because Mal loved making her blush- and squinted at the book. " What are you reading this time?"

"Hm. It is that book you brought me"

" Ah" Mal seemed to be losing interest already, focusing her intention on Regina's hair, playing with it.

" You still have to tell me where you got it".

" I just got it from some human".

" Who?".

" Some snivelling person"

Regina gasped. " You did not approach him in your other form, did you?".

She almost jumped when Mal chuckled, pressed so close to Regina that she could almost feel the vibrations of her voice. " Calm down , little one. I was in this form, your kind is just too easily startled".

Regina sighed. " You would say that".

Mal chuckled again, then gently blew fire against Regina's neck. It didn't hurt – in fact it felt rather pleasant- but Regina pulled away nonetheless. She turned her head to glare at Mal. " I told you not to do that anymore"

" Hm, but you always blush so prettily when I do" Mal said, pressing a finger to Regina's cheeks- that were indeed a fierce red.

" Why do you even enjoy it so much ? "

Mal shrugged. " I just do. Must there always be a reason, some ulterior motive?".

" I have found that people always have an ulterior motive".

Mal sneered. " Humans might always have ulterior motives, but I assure you dragons do not. We follow our instincts and think little of things like power and money".

" So what instinct is prompting you to constantly fluster me, then?" she felt that same blush rise a little at the look Mal threw her immediately as she licked her lips. _Why do I constantly feel like she is going to eat me… why do I not get afraid at the thought?_

Mal pulled at the locks she still held in one hand. " You can figure that out for yourself". She stood up and stretched. She laughed briefly as she caught Regina's eyes on her. " Staring , again? ".

Regina looked down at her book for a moment, then managed to look into Mal's eyes " You stare at me all the time, too".

" Oh?".

"Like when I am asleep, I can sometimes feel your eyes on me".

" I am meant to guard you, so that is not at all surprising".

" So you look at other princesses like that as well? ".

Mal shrugged. "No. I have little interest in other princesses".

For some reason, Regina's heart skipped a beat. She glanced at Mal, who looked disinterested, almost indifferent like usually. She didn't know what to say , so she quickly changed the subject. " Do you intent to hunt again? ".

" I won't be gone for long".

" Okay" . Before Mal could change (and thus lose the ability to speak) she quickly added "please do not hunt any humans".

Mal didn't reply- she never does- but she gave Regina a small smile as she stalked towards the window. Regina always loathes this part- even if she rationally knows Mal won't be hurt, it is still awful to watch her jump out of the window and fall before managing to change and fly away.

Regina only picked up her book again when her eyes couldn't make out the dragon's shape anymore, even though every time Mal left on a hunting trip, she could only focus again when Mal had returned safely.

It wasn't different this time; the words she read never sinking in, her having to read sentences three or even four times. She couldn't keep her eyes from gliding towards the window to search for a familiar shape.

She had just finally been able to force her concentration back to her book when she heard it: a roar so loud it almost made the earth tremble. She dropped her book as she almost tripped in her haste to get to the window, then pushed herself up to better see. Her eyes scanned the sky frantically, not able to determine where-

She lunged back when there was sudden heat.

The heat lasted for a few minutes before it faded , which was her sign to stand up. She carefully glanced down- then gasped as she saw him: a person clinging to the brick. She could not see much of them- their face was pressed against the brick. She could only make out the quiver of arrows, the bow and short hair.

Another furious roar made her look away from the person only barely hanging on.

Her dragon was terrifying like this: jaw wide open, chest glowing with fire, eyes filled with fury. Regina herself wasn't frightened for her own safety , but she definitely feared for the intruder

 _Oh gods, she is going to kill him._

* * *

 _Dragons are possessive, protective creatures._ Regina remembered reading this, but it is still baffling- and infuriating and flattering and a thousand other complicated emotions that mean trouble because she is not supposed to like Mal , definitely not this much- when her Dragon basically goes berserk at the sight of the thief sitting close to Regina and smiling at her. Smiling at her like no one but _him_ \- whose name she won't even allow herself to remember because it is like putting a Thousand tiny stakes in her heart- has ever done.

And it is not like Mal has any reason to get as protective as she is, but she still likes that smile (she just likes the small, hard-won smile that Mal has more)

His hair is slightly smoking as he sits next to her, and there is a very ugly wound on his arm. Behind him, Mal is curled around the tower, little puffs of smoke coming out of her mouth and drifting towards the thief. Regina has already warned her three times (she kept sliding closer and closer to the thief in a way that made it extremely obvious she was thinking about turning him into a tasty snack) but she still is very obviously threatening the thief while at the same time claiming Regina (the tail wrapped around her shoulders is evidence of that).

He flinches while Regina cleans and binds the wound , his eyes focused on the black tail wrapped around Regina's shoulder. His eyes are wary and whenever he tries to speak , he falters. Regina thinks it is caused by Mal, who does her uttermost best to terrify him - licking her lips, blowing smoke his way, curling around Regina in a way that screams 'come too close and you will be roasted'.

" What are you even doing around these parts?" Regina finally asks, ignoring the tension in the tower and pretending like her breath doesn't stutter when Mal pushes her head through the window until her chin is level with Regina's shoulder and the little puffs she is still releasing , caress Regina's bare skin.

She doesn't even look at Mal, not wanting to give her the satisfaction, not after she nearly hurt someone terribly.

" My band is camping out in the woods a little while from here, and one of us got injured so I thought-".

" You would get some jewellery or something else with monetary value and buy medicine?" Regina offers.

" Exactly, milady".

Regina finishes tending to his wounds and straightens, walking over to the chest with jewels. She picks a few and walks back to the thief . " I do not approve of thieving, but I do not want any of your people to die either" she says , offering him the jewels.

The thief jumps to his feet" How can I ever thank you?".

Before Regina can say anything, the thief grabs her hand. " Come with me, I can get you out of this tower" he speaks earnestly and Regina, for the shortest moment, feels tempted. Even if living in this tower is pleasant – and her dragon an unexpected gift- she still felt like she had been transferred to a new cage. She is so tired of cages.

He notes her hesitation and presses 'Our lives may not be luxurious , but there is always food and friends so- " he suddenly releases her hands and stumbles forward: Mal ( who had been sending smoke the thief's way the entire time and would probably have used fire already if that did not mean endangering Regina) has suddenly pushed him from behind. Now she looks ready to do far, far worse.

The thief immediately turns around, grabbing an arrow from his quiver. Before he can release the arrow, Regina pulls him behind her and stands between the two with raised hands.

" Stop it, the both of you" she warns.

When Mal stops breathing in/out like she was preparing a giant fire ball, she slowly turns around to face the thief. He is still holding his bow, but at least it is not pointed at the Dragon's chest anymore.

" I appreciate the offer, truly, but I cannot leave" she says, sincere but also firm.

He takes a few careful steps towards her, the look of annoyance and weariness replaced with empathy. " Milady, let me help you" he insists, reaching out for her hand but stopping when Mal lets out the most terrifying sound. It is a clear warning, a 'I will hurt you if you come any closer' kind of sound.

" You cannot help me" Regina says, which is the truth. Even if this person somehow manages to get her and the Dragon away from the tower, her mother would not rest until it was a prince ( better yet, a king) that had come for Regina. Her mother has guards, magic, power… her mother has fear and hearts that controlled the people and would never let them go. If Regina only has a thief and a Dragon (no matter how strong, fierce, incredible) she will never win.

" We can escape from this beast, I can get you to- ".

Regina takes a few steps back, shaking her head. Her heart is rattling wildly, her breaths too short and stuttering to the point that she felt dizzy. " No. Leave her alone".

She suddenly looks at the man with different eyes. She had liked him, had felt instinctively that he was not a bad man, that he was not stealing out of laziness and selfishness but now he seems like the worst kind of villain. Her eyes scan the room for any kind of defence, anything to keep him from hurting the Dragon but she did not see anything. Her fingers start to tingle, heat up like-

The man looks at her with confusion. " Milady?".

" Just go. Leave! And never return. You are not getting to her" Regina snaps, her voice suddenly sharp and cutting. Her eyes narrow, her fingers stretch , her entire body language screaming discomfort and fury.

" Did I say something wrong?".

" You said the worst thing you could have said".

Instead of doing what Regina wants, the thief takes a careful step towards her and scrunches his face up as he thinks. " I don't understand. Is this.. beast – " he swallows and his grip on his bow tightens when the Mal moves forward until she is inches away from his face ( while still keeping her tail wrapped Regina) . " Is it not keeping you trapped?".

Regina shakes her head. " No- while yes, but not voluntarily- it takes a lot of time to explain" she looks pointedly at the man. " Time you do not have. Go. Help your friend". Her voice only softens the slightest bit, hardly noticable.

" I am not leaving you here, at the mercy of – ".

Regina steps towards Mal, laying her hand on her head to calm her (when the man had stepped forward again, Mal chest had started to glow once again) and the thief's mouth falls open a little. Regina does not know how he has missed it ( she had not shown even the slightest hint of fear around her dragon after all) but he finally seems to realize that this dragon and princess are not enemies at all, that it is not as black-and-white-simple as the beast and the Belle, the monster and the damsel.

" A b." he trails of, not sure at all anymore and Regina takes the opportunity to gently push him towards the window. " You climbed up, I am sure you can climb down' .

He glances at the Dragon again, and there is more than just weariness in his eyes. His eyes flit to the collar for the slightest moment, then get stuck on how she remains in front of Regina like a (fire)breathing shield.

Regina smiles, strokes the head beneath her hand. " She won't hurt you. And I will be all right"

Finally, he starts walking towards the window. Just before he climbs out of the window , he turns to her. " If you ever need my help, just ask for Robin of Locksley".

Regina falters for a moment, not used to being treated like someone kind, someone worth of protection and help (all too used to looks of fear and mistrust, eyes that ask questions like 'is she as cruel & cold like her mother). Then remembers herself and gives him a warm smile" I will remember that" and of course she would, because she knew that name. It is the name of the thief that dared to steal from Cora, whose heart Cora wants almost as much as dragon hearts, whose name fall from her lips in a hate-filled hiss.. A thief who is in as much danger as Regina's brave serpent.

She thinks about giving her own name, but she loathes the terror and mistrust that always follow. There are few people who can see her for anything else than Cora's daughter. So she just keeps stroking Mal's head as she watches him disappeare, climbing down quite easily and running towards the forest.

Only when he is very far away, does she feel Mal start to relax beneath her stroking fingers. She slowly retracts her hands, with some reluctance. Mal's tail reaches for her arm, but lets go- its owner apparently realizing Regina just wants to watch.

She walks over to the small hill of pillows on the window still, her spot to read and watch her Dragon and dream of faraway lands where she is not ' Cora's daughter', where she is not 'The princess in the tower' , where she is just Regina – whoever that is.

Sometimes, she just sits there and stares at the stars and every night she asks a different one to just give her freedom, that she will never ask for another thing again, just that. She has been doing that since – well since forever, at least since as long as she can remember, since the very first time she heard something about asking the stars, about wishing on stars. She remembers staring at them from her father's secure arms, thumb in mouth – _do not bite or suck your thumb, dear_ \- and asking them things like 'playing outside instead of wearing those dresses that itch and cannot get dirty.

She suddenly misses her father, misses his gentle voice and the tiny ways in which he always tried to make her life easier, to make her happier.

She is vaguely aware of a shift in the air, of a subtle change of breathing, that smell of fire and leather and nature becoming less pronounced but she is mostly immersed in staring out of the window at the darkening edges of the flowers/burned grass/ forest and thinking/dreaming. It is only when two hands fall on her shoulders that she is truly aware of what happened (she is in her human form again) and stiffens automatically ( after years of Cora's cruel hands and the constant need to be on guard, she doesn't think she can ever stop stiffening and flinching) , then slowly starts to relax until she is leaning against Mal.

Robin has long disappeared, but Regina – and by extension, Mal- remain at the still. Regina doesn't move at all while Mal only moves to touch Regina's hair- curl it around fingers, stroke it, gently pull at it. Mal is so very warm- she always is when she has just been in her other form – while Regina feels like she is freezing.

" You are shivering" Mal whispers, her voice the first sound – apart from breathing- in what might have been hours. (must have been: the sky has started to truly darken and the stars have blinked themselves awake)

" Make yourself warm" she orders, her tone slightly harder and definitely more commanding. Regina knows what she means- they have spent quite some time on all kinds of fire spells- but she just feels too depleted today.

She closes her eyes, waiting for Mal to push her (magic lessons mean constant pushing and hearing 'you can do better, I _expect_ better) but perhaps she senses Regina's distress because she sighs and then there is a blanket floating towards them and Mal's arms around her.

She sinks into the comfort and even it does not completely chase the cold away – or the memories she cannot ever push away deep enough- she feels better. She feels safe and protected, feelings that used to be unfamiliar to her, and thinks off the day they will leave this tower.

She has to believe they won't say their goodbyes. She wants to believe it won't be goodbye. She _needs_ to believe Mal will still be in her life.

(and she can try to lie to herself, that it is just to make sure Cora won't catch either of them or to protect villages from what a dragon can do to them, but –)

As Mal pushes her down on the bed, tugs the blanket over her and allows her to press against her, she knows she fiercely wants Mal in her life because every instinct she has -every feeling- tells her it is supposed to be that way.

For some reason, she thinks of the rare tales of dragons loving anything as she falls asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**I don't own OUAT.**

" _I am so very disappointed in you Regina". Cold, all-consuming panic that touches her nerves and effectively freezing them- or turning them to stone. "I have prepared you for the best kind of life in any way imaginable, trained you to be the person the most estimable nobles are interested in and given you all you need to become very powerful.." She smiles, the one Regina knows precedes vile acts. Regina hears her own heartbeat, so very loud so very fast, when she squeezes. Her legs start to tremble when the reaction is immediate: there is a soft cry behind them. "Please' s on her lips , kept there because of Cora walking towards the horrible sight: scales smattered with blood, chains too tightly wrapped around a weakly struggling body and golden eyes that usually burn brighter. Another squeeze, another soft cry. Open loathing directed at a cruel woman, a look that promises retaliation of the worst kind if the caught dragon is ever freed. Her limbs finally unfreeze, prompted by the heart that slowly starts to crumble. She cannot feel a pulse beneath the fingers she has on Cora's wrist , there are thousand memories of people calling her mother 'heartless' in her mind. Heat , pain and flying. The world blurring as her head hits the stone, the growl and rattling of change. She is struggling to her feet, eyes on that hand. " I am not allowing you to ruin your life" dust slowly pours from that hand until the floor, the body in chains sags and Regina screams loud enough to wake the dead._

She thinks it is her mother's fireball at first, this warmth on her shoulders. She struggles, half-caught on the image of a heart crumbling, and pushes and says " no, leave her alone, no, no, please no" her breathing is like a bird with a broken wing and her heart feels like it is the one turned to ash.

It is only when a gentle- and worried- voice call her something no one ever does that she opens her eyes. Mal's eyes are faintly glowing with protective fire, there is a tight frown that slowly gentles into a smile and she can feel those thumbs on her cheeks- wiping at the wetness there.

"You were crying in your sleep" Mal says (Regina does not even know whether she is referring to the tears that are still sleeping or how the hoarseness in Regina's voice indicates she was crying out in her sleep)

Mal had been standing over her, close but not too much, but slowly lowers herself on the bed now. She studies Regina carefully, then moves closer until her knees are on the sides of Regina's hip. She rests her forehead against Regina " Breathe in and out with me" she whispers, starting to slowly and audibly breathe in.

Regina _can't_ at first – her breaths are all haltering, jumping- but Mal persists and she finally starts to feel less like she is going to choke on air. The panic does not fade completely though and when she vividly remembers the glow of the heart against the paleness of her mother's hand, she presses her own to Mal's chest.

There is panic in her racing heart, fear in the tears she still cannot stop and love when she feels a pulse beneath her hand. She presses a little closer, the weird thought _I need to see_ in her mind and- magic unlike her own urging her to press closer , vindictive anger in the form of a growl in the back of her throat, thoughts of sliding her lips over a throat. When her eyes flit to her own hand, it is buried in Mal's hair.

She chokes and yanks her hand back when she realizes what has happened. _That was Mal – that was what she was feeling._ She whimpers, squeezes her eyes shut like that will keep her from remembering where her hand just was.

There is a gentle grip, one she resists as it brings her hand to that chest again. Her eyes remain closed and there is this sense of vertigo and nausea. She can feel that pulse beneath her tense muscles- she very slowly opens her eyes and looks at their entwined hands on top of Mal's chest.

" You have my permission" Mal says and Regina stares at her. Her eyes are still tinged with gold, there is a ghost of a smile on her lips and she seems completely okay with Regina- but no, she would never do that.

" I told you magic was bad! I t- ".

" Regina" she does not think Mal has ever called her Regina before. Mal calls her 'princess' teasingly or 'pretty thing' or lately, terms of endearment Regina taught her like 'Mi cielo' , 'Carina', 'Tesoro'

But she doesn't call her Regina. Dragons rarely use a person's true name; it is their equivalent of ripping hearts out to control someone.

Mal squeezes the hand she is still holding, the hand above her heart. " Magic could never taint you, corazón"

" How can you say that, I almost-" she cuts herself off.

" But it was not with any malevolent intent. It had something to do with your dream, did it not?".

Regina swallows. She doesn't know what hurts more: remembering her dream or thinking about what she nearly did. " My mother crushed your heart".

" A dragon's heart is that not easily taken" Mal says. " Our innate magic protects our hearts, so that only a heart given willingly- truly willingly, not given after manipulation or blackmail- can be obtained without hurting the recipient".

" So my mother- ".

" Unless she would manage to win my favour- and someone like her never will- she can never take my heart".

Regina feels her straining muscles finally relax. She suddenly thinks of the dragon she tried to help, the heart she had found minutes before her mother found _her._ It had had a ragged line, like it had broken somehow. And if the only way to obtain a dragon's heart is to – " What about love potions?".

Mal seems surprised. " How do you know of the vile things?".

"I heard my mother describe the usage of one once". As soon as she was old enough to understand, she had tried to help people by eavesdropping on her mother. It had not always worked out well – and she had had the most horrible nightmares because of some of it- but sometimes the information she gathered had been enough to save someone.

" Even the darkest creatures refuse to use those crimes against nature" Mal growls, her eyes turning completely gold for a moment.

" Would they work-".

" On me? Possibly. If your mother is as skilled a sorceress as the whispers say she is, then she might be able to temporarily create an unreal love. But not for long and it will definitely not allow her to take my heart".

She sags with relief and smiles with happiness , but at the same time she thinks of the other dragon. It hurts to swallow when she thinks about the expression they wore. " So you are safe".

" From that, I am yes". She reaches for Regina's hair , twists a lock around a finger" Does that calm your spirits?".

" Somewhat. It does not mean you are protected from other dangers" she stares into the distance. She doesn't even know what she would do at this point, if a prince tried to hurt Mal.

" You underestimate me"

" You underestimate what kind of cruelty humanity can come up with " Regina says, thinking of the book she read about a war where they used weapons that crept into someone's airways and polluted them. Where they burn your windpipe and lungs.

Mal has her own smile that is not a smile at all. She uses it whenever she is angry and deeply hurt. " I would never underestimate your species' penchant for cruelty". She touches the collar around her neck. Regina is quite certain it is done unconsciously.

"We will find a way to free us" she mutters, eyes slipping closed again now that the amounts of adrenalin has diminished and Mal is warm and soft half on top of her.

She is already falling asleep when she half-notes Mal's weight leaving her. She makes a little sound in protest, hears Mal's replying chuckle. The cold air that suddenly brush her bare legs make her shiver , but that cold is soon chased away as warm arms are thrown around her.

" Is this inappropriate?".

" Very much so, I believe "Regina sighs and presses closer into that glorious warmth. Mal presses her nose in Regina's neck, breathes gently. It is not fire exactly, but it is warmer than usually. In fact, Mal's entire body is deliciously warm, practically calling for Regina to attach herself to it and never let it go.

" But you want me to stay".

" Hm-hm" Regina mumbles.

She can feel a hand tread to her hair before stroking her cheek . " I take it that is a yes".

" Mmm".

She can feel Mal's chuckle. " Sweet dreams, Carina"

And Regina is sleeping before she can think about the lips that briefly touch her forehead.

* * *

She is just having a rare nice dream – grey and warmth and smoke - when the sunlight ruins it by shining into her eyes and slowing pulling her away from her dream. She presses against the warmth that is in front of her and tries to hide her face.

Someone starts to stroke her hair, which is when she slowly starts to remember Mal cr-

She opens her eyes and raises her head a little, then blushes. Now that she is quickly wakening, she realizes Mal is sitting up, Regina's head on her chest and legs tangled together. She stares back at Mal, who seems content to just sit there and watch Regina.

" Have you been watching me all night?".

" Not all night". Her eyes brighten as she mortifies Regina by commenting semi-casually that " you were saying my name in your sleep"

" That is impossible. I don't even know your name".

" My …" Mal pulls a face like she is thinking of something revolting. "Nickname. I take it that the dreams were more pleasant this time?".

Regina really wishes she could stop blushing. She half-heartedly glares. " Stop teasing ".

" I assure you, I am just concerned for your well-being" .

" Please forgive me for not believing you".

She is just thinking that Mal is getting bored off this game or thinking of the lesson she has planned when - "So you were not dreaming about me _eating_ you?" she places a weird emphasis on the word 'eating'.

" No, I know you would never do that" Regina immediately says, thinking it a strange question.

Mal gives a tiny smirk, leans in until her lips are very close to Regina's. "Be careful princess, I am sure you would make a most delectable meal. And I _do_ bite".

Regina tries to quickly avert her eyes, knowing that the proximity combined with the hypnotic grey is just too much. Mal chuckles and presses even closer, Regina's eyes flutter closed , her lips dry, her breathing stutters, she inhales Mal's brea-

The kiss lands on her cheek, close enough to her lips that she can say she tastes it. This time, Mal's lips linger on her cheek for a few seconds before she pulls away. She leaves Regina in a daze as she manages to remove herself from beneath Regina and walks towards the window.

" I am going to get us both breakfast. We will work on unravelling magic after it".

And before Regina can scold Mal for the inappropriate behaviour or throw a pillow at her stupidly cool face or even just say 'you drive me to insanity ', she has changed shape and is flying away. Regina glares after her form, annoyed and disappointed without being able to pinpoint the exact reason.

It is unlike her, but she is severely tempted to remain in the warm bed that now smells of Mal. At the same time, she wants to get away because it smells like Mal – who does things like leaning in to kiss her. _The books never said anything about dragons being the most confusing, taunting creatures with their distracting fire breath and hypnotic eyes and-_

She flushes again at her thoughts. It is probably anger. She is definitely annoyed. She quickly dresses, thinking of words that might actually make an impact and not just amuse Mal – or worse, words that she is indifferent to . What about 'your species might not see kisses as anything extraordinary , but my species think of it as a life-changing and treasured action' or maybe she should talk about true lo (no Mal would probably think it is the most ridiculous thing)

She is still going over all the options in her head when she turns around and immediately jumps back. There is a very dead sheep on the floor of the tower, the cause of death obviously an insufferable dragon. Behind it, Mal is perched on the windowsill looking very proud of herself.

" Mal, what made you think I wanted the corpse of a sheep laying on the floor?".

Mal looks almost hurt. She definitely looks insulted.

Regina starts to walk away, then feels a tail wrap itself around her arm and pull her back. " Mal, release me!" she commands. Mal does , but she also pointedly looks at the sheep. Regina sighs. " Mal I am not really a fan of killing animals" she says, careful to keep her voice gentle. She tries to remember reading anything in her books about dragons dropping sheep in front of you to-

" I got you breakfast!" Mal says, sounding vaguely insulted and definitely confused.

" You got me an entire _sheep_ ".

" You- sheep are food".

" I don't – what is this about?".

" I hunted for you" Mal gives her a look that pretty much says "why are you being obtuse like this'

" Yes, so- wait, is this a part of dragon etiquette I don't know about? ".

She reaches for Mal's hand as she starts to turn, obviously agitated. " I am sorry". Mal stills, looking unimpressed so she smiles and adds " I am really grateful that you hunted for me, thank you".

Mal nods. " Very well ". She glances at the sheep. " so how- " she hesitates. " do like your sheep?".

 _Alive._ " I like them any way but raw " Regina says, glancing at the poor animal again. Would it be very offensive to ask Mal to just get berries the next time?

Mal quickly turns again and returns with pieces of nearly blackened meat. As part of the magic lesson, she lets Regina clean the floor. As soon as the floor is clean , they continue with that what they've been doing ever since Regina became 'adequate' at things like summoning fireballs.

Which is trying to break the enchantment on Mal's collar. She tries until she has a headache and her muscles ache and there is sweat running into her eyes. The only reason they even stop is because her legs have lost so much of their strength that she moves like a just-born foal.

" Okay stop" Mal finally says and has to catch Regina when she stumbles.

" P-please … tell …. Me… that we have done enough work for today" Regina pants.

Mal wipes the sweaty hair away from Regina's face. " Your capabilities are growing and you have great innate talent" the soft expression hardens. " If only you also had ambition".

" I- "

" You should not be so terrified of making your mother's mistakes, or we will never be free". She grabs Regina's chin, yanks her forward. Her nails dig in a little. " You are holding yourself back. The only person making your life this, is _you_ ".

She forces Regina to stand on her tiptoe's, their foreheads against each other, Mal's eyes keeping the woman frozen in the position. " You are still becoming your own person. But who that person is- " she presses her hand against Regina's chest. " Depends on whether you will finally let what is in here out. Stop holding back or you are useless".

When she lets go, Regina actually sways on her feet and nearly crumbles to the floor. Mal is sure that all that is keeping her upright is that stubbornness. Regina quickly swivels around, but it is obvious that she is crying.

She stiffens under Mal's touch. She keeps her head bend and a glance to her hands shows they're clutched tightly into fists. Behind them, there is the sound of a mirror breaking into a million pieces. Mal can feel her own magic rear up, the only thing keeping it in check the realization of who exactly is wielding the dangerous aura of magic- who is behind the air thickening, the hearth roaring, the hair on Mal's neck standing up in reply to electricity.

" I trust you not to waste the magic you are emanating right now" is all Mal says before flying away.

What is not in the humans ' silly books: dragons are tough, hard creatures. They are ruthlessly pressed to develop their skills to the fullest and coldly left to die if they fail. They expect the same strength and endurance from the very few creatures that they believe deserve their care.

Their love is fierce, protective and forever… but it also not without edges.

* * *

When Mal returns, the tower is a battle field. The smell and feeling of the distinct magic allows her to see the mirror being broken ten times, the bed thrown through the air and splintered, the window torn apart, the precious jewels crushed. Some of it is put together again- the mirror, the window, the bed- but other signs of destruction remain visible. There are glittering , miniscule pieces of ruby's and emeralds and diamonds on the floor. She is quite certain there are little droplets of blood as well.

The remnants of magic she can still sense in the air are strong enough that she loses her balance for a moment.

On the bed- that is still on another side of the room- Regina lays amidst torn blankets and ripped pillows. She lays on her back, one hand pressed to her stomach. Tears cling to her lashes and reflect light like tiny diamonds on her cheek.

Mal climbs on the bed and gently wipes the tears away. With a touch of her hand, the blankets mend themselves and she pulls one over Regina. She lays next to Regina, leaving a little space between them and watches the rise and fall of her chest. It is almost too slow and deep, enough that she could worry about sleeping curses if she had not known how much magic Regina has used while she was gone.

She is struck by how Regina suddenly looks like the princess she is. She cannot imagine any prince not facing storms and mountains and magic, not when the story ends with getting to kiss this enchanting creature. An enchanting creature she has thought both weak and strong.

Like she told her princess, she follows her instincts. So she does not think twice about gently pressing her lips to where there are drying tears. On her cheeks, her nose, her forehead- she hesitates above her lips-

(she knows the humans attribute mystical powers to kisses)

She is still lingering above the woman when her eyes slowly open. One moment there is that smile that is like hunting, then she is pushed away and Regina is rolling on her side, back to Mal. " Your magic is our only chance" she says, hoping that the stubborn human will get it is more or less an apology.

She gets silence. She tries to reach for Regina but she is shrugged off. She moves her body a little closer to the tense woman. Whispers in her ear "I got you something".

Her princess shivers like usually, but gives no further sign that she has heard anything.

She honestly contemplates walking away and letting her calm down a little. It is likely a bad idea. So they lay there in uncomfortable, tense, angry ( on the princess' part at least) silence for too long. Mal hates laying down if it is not to sleep or guard.

" You c-called me useless"

Mal perks up as she hears the voice- even if it is different than usually. " As long as you do not want to get better control over your magic and expand your knowledge, we are stuck here".

For a moment, Mal things there is going to be another sullen silence. Then Regina slowly starts to turn around. " I have seen what magic can do a person. Can you honestly not show a little empathy ? ".

" No" . As her princess start to turn away again with this kind of pathetic (but oddly effective) expression, Mal takes her hand. "Darkness like that won't grow in your heart without a stronger motivator than magic. Your fear is completely unfounded. ".

Those wonderful brown eyes show fear and worry. " What if I start to become dependent on it? " She glances down. " I – I like it" she admits.

Mal chuckles. " It feels good, of course you like it".

She slowly reaches for Regina's hair. She can never keep her hands off it for long. " So you fear becoming addicted then?".

" Something like that".

" I think you are stronger than that". It is the truth: never mind how gentle Regina is, she is also resilient and there is far more steel under that kind, smiling exterior than most would realize.

She pulls playfully at the locks twisted around her fingers. "Despite, if you actually used all that magic for something else than exploding mirrors, you would free me from this – " she gestures at her neck. " and you could stop using magic, no matter how foolish and unnecessary".

There is another long -this time thoughtful- silence before Regina speaks again.

" My mother will likely have ensured that she will be notified if the spell breaks. And she has possibly placed guards in the vicinity".

" I know".

" We will have to be quick ".

" I know".

" Sit up".

She automatically obeys, regretfully letting go of dark brown locks. Regina slowly pushes herself up as well. "I still do not know whether my magic is strong enough" she warns. " I know". Regina smiles hesitantly, then grabs Mal's hands. She frowns, lets them go again. Moves closer until their foreheads are pressed together again.

They remain like that at first, until Mal breathes out when Regina does and their heartbeats have synchronised as well. Shortly after, she can feel Regina's magic at her forehead, behind her closed eyes, at her lips, her chin.. There is a gentle heat against her neck, then biting cold that is soon chased away by familiar warmth again. She slowly opens her eyes, her lashes brushing against soft skin.

Her princess is trembling with the effort, little drops of sweat already at her temples. Her eyes are squeezed tightly, lips pressed together. She gently places her hands on Regina's cheeks, wipes the droplets of sweat away.

There is a second of tiny icicles sinking into her neck before the warmth of a body replaces it. She can feel hands squeezing her arms almost painfully, the magic keeping away the cold but not indefinitely. She can feel Regina starting to exhaust herself, going over that fine limit between 'exhausted' and 'comatose' when she presses her lips shortly to hers in an impulse-

" Stop, you are - ".

She can feel the spell being blasted apart, the cold wrestling with her magic vanishing, breathing finally is easy again.

She is free.


	6. Chapter 6

**I don't own OUAT**

It is incredible. She can breathe again, there is no tightness in her chest, no needles burying into her skin whenever she even thinks about her magic. Her hands don't feel frozen- nor does her throat feel raw. Her shoulders tingle, her magic's way to say 'we can fly without pain again'. She is already standing up, her fingers burning with magic when she looks at her princess and-

There are no human words for this. There is just a roar & the oath that she will make Cora Mills pay for -

It's soft, barely there. She crawls towards Regina's slumped body, lifts her in her lap. Her magic is rapidly losing warmth, so she places her hands on Regina's cheeks and breathes slowly in-and-out, careful not to make it too hot. Most humans are too feeble for a dragon's fire. Beneath her fingers, she can feel Regina's skin heat slowly. There's dark blue-purple beneath her closed eyelids. She can hear her breathing- but it's all wrong. Caught prey breathe like this, not her princess.

" M-mal? " she actually has to lean in to hear that.

"Foolish. You exerted yourself too much!".

" You.. Free" she muttered, sounding delirious. Mal pressed her hand against her princesses' skin. She feels cold- colder than even a human should be. But she isn't shivering, she just lays there and is barely anything. Barely breathing, barely moving. She seems hardly aware of Mal pulling her into her lap, throwing her arms around her and allowing her magic to heat her skin - more than she usually allows it to in this form.

Her fire almost erupts when she realizes how feeble her princess magic is. It is usually remiscient of a forest fire, or a chimera - perhaps even of a dragon. Now, it is like a trembling prey or one of the humans that wear those things she has heard called 'crowns' as they cower behind the humans dressed in that silvery stuff.

When Mal presses her hand to the princess' chest, she feels that her pulse is even weaker. She feels her own pulse skip at the realization, growls in the back of her throat. _I should not have allowed her to push this far._

She can feel the princess' skin heating against where Mal is pressing her hands, and allowing her magic free reign to attempt to coax the cold out of the too-still woman. But it's not enough. She has to strain to hear breathing and she feels cold herself whenever she realizes how weak the pulse beneath where she is loosely clapsing the woman's wrist is.

Worse, she can feel magic at her back.

Magic that tastes of iron, and ashes. Magic that makes baring her teeth so very easy. We don't have time. She doesn't know what that human (if you can even call that empty, rotten woman that) will do, but she knows she won't be merciful. And Mal is a dragon- they can withstand the worst of torture- but the woman sprawled into her arms is not. She is human -

and for whatever inexplicable reason, she loves the woman with the cruel smile almost as much as she fears her.

Mal does not think that woman is familiar with love, that she has it in her to love this gentle, resilient creature that makes Mal think of humans like creatures that are perhaps more than prey, or enemy. Which is why they need to leave, now.

" Mi cielo. Wake up" she orders, making sure to slip enough magic in her voice that she is compelled to obey. Eyelids flutter, and there is a soft groan but the slumped woman in her lap is not obeying.

She growls softly, her magic jumping back to her and concentrating in her shoulder blades when she smells her enemies getting closer. She glances at the woman in her lap again, then at the window. She would be better off alone, especially when her princess is so weak. Weakling are abandoned; dragons have no need of those too weak to care for themselves. The dependent have no place amongst dragons.

It is a mantra every individual of her species learns, and lives by. Anyone who doesn't are considered weak as well, and receive scorn and derision by the rest of her species scattered amonst all the lands.

Still, for some reason, she scoops the human in her arms and jumps off the bed. She clutches her as close as possible, then runs at the window. The minute she feels sky beneath her feet, she changes.  
With Regina in her arms, she flies away

* * *

There is a magic force field she crashes through, foolish humans throwing their toys at her, prey she burns and magic that is nothing more than a slight irritation as she brings her princess to something akin to safety. The sound of her wings is comforting, the cold air wonderful, the feeling of finally being free again addictive.

She would like to remain in the air forever, but the fragile creature in her paws is already struggling.

As soon as she thinks she is far enough that they will be safe for a little while, she scourges for a place that will allow her to take care of the human. She debates whether she should remain in her human's territory, or risk entering new one. She more or less dives down immediately when Regina starts coughing and spluttering, her heartrate trippling and her eyes desperately searching for some place to lay the princess down and stop the horrid choking.

 _Hold on, don't give up. There!_ Her tail breaks the water behind her, and the fish that jump beneath her would usually already be in her mouth but she hardly pays them attention when she races towards the large cave she has spotted.

She changes the moment her feet touch the ground, then runs inside the cave with Regina still in her arms. Only remembering humans do not like to sleep on stone at the last moment, she lifts Regina and quickly transfigures the stone beneath her in the soft material the princess usually sleeps on.

She lays her on it, then pushes her upright. She relaxes when she feels the intense heat beneath her hand, then widens her eyes when Regina splutters and coughs even more. She nearly panicks when her princess' body starts to tremble furiously. She gently wipes away soaked strands.

" Princess? What do you need?"

All she gets is shivering, and incomprehension. The princess might not even recognize her. She repeats herself , not knowing what else to do. But Regina just groans softly, and her eyes close again. Mal prods her. "Don't do that. I am quite certain you shouldn't do that".

Regina's eyes roll and she shivers. Mal glares at her. " Stubborn" she mutters. She presses her hand to where the woman's skin is glistening, beads of sweat slowly gliding down. She is burning up- and Mal is starting to suspect that that is something humans shouldn't do.

 _Food. She probably needs food. And perhaps- cold?_ It is a foreign idea, that anyone would ever need to cool down, but Mal has memories of Regina grumpily kicking the blankets off herself and muttering that Mal 'was too warm'. She certainly cannot make Regina hurt worse.

She presses her forehead to Regina's for a moment. " I will be right back" she promises. It is difficult, leaving her princess all weak and vulnerable but she has to. She has to.

Hunting is easier in her true form, so she quickly changes and flies over the water. The silver, finned prey jumping out of the water are hardly her usual, but she can't risk hunting for something bigger, not when her princess is waiting for her to do something. The merciful thing would be to leave her. _If she is strong enough she will survive. If she is weak, she need not survive._

It is the dragon way, the right way. But she strangely doesn't want to.

She dives down with open mouth, gathers as much prey in her mouth as possible and races back to the cave. She does not change this time, just bends down and crawls inside. She only changes when she has opened her mouth, the prey inside flopping on the floor . She quickly grabs one of them, cuts of its head and then tears of a piece of flesh.

She is already pushing Regina into a sitting position, and bringing the fish to her mouth, when she remembers the woman does not like her prey raw. With a simple hand gesture, she lights the fish on fire and carefully brings it to-

Regina's eyes finally flicker open and she hisses as she yanks her head back. " Mal!- "

"Ah you are awake. Finally. Now - "

Mal presses closer and catches Regina when she sags. " No- don't do that, come on" she implores, pressing the fish to the princess' lips. "I even got you prey, come on, come on ".

" Hot"

 _What do you even mean?_ Mal presses her free hand to a sweaty forehead. " You humans are odd creatures" she mutters. _She is not even truly warm. Dragons would need more warmth, not less._ She gently lays Regina down again, then walks outside to the water. She stares at it for a moment, then finally kneels. She returns to the cave with a mouthful of salty water.

Regina rolls her head from side to side when Mal spits the water on her. " There" she says, satisfied. She picks up the fish again, crawls on the bed. She is careful not to press down on Regina's motionless legs as she gets on the bed. She keeps the fish between her teeth so that she can pull the princess in her lap again.

" You have to eat . So eat" she orders, pushing the fish against the woman's lips. Regina just groans softly, and presses into Mal. " Too warm" she mutters again. " I already cooled you!" she moves her hands, so that they are no longer holding on to the princess' dress, but instead press against her cheeks. "You are already getting warmer. But that is bad, isn't it?". She doesn't understand it, but she guesses that humans are not supposed to be warm like this.

She presses her nose into Regina's neck as a goodbye, then lays her down again and gets off the bed. She marches outside again, kneels next to the water again. _What do humans keep water in?_ Her face brightens when she remembers Regina holding a cillinder, made of a transparent substance, and drinking from it. She only needs to close her eyes to see it, then holds up her hand.

She carefully moves it into the water as soon as her magic materializes it, checking to see whether it properly traps the water. When she stands in front of Regina with it, she hesitates for a moment. Does she toss it at the princess? Does she slowly pour it on her?

 _Perhaps she is hot on the inside._ Mal remembers how her fire something scorched her slightly, when she was young and still learning. Perhaps it is like that for humans.

She places the cillinder on the ground , so that she can force Regina's body in a sitting position. When she is certain the princess won't fall over, she picks up the cillinder and carefully brings it to parched lips. She knows humans do not value names like her people though, but she still whisper her princess' name like a secret, touches the cillinder once to make the water inside drinkable, and carefully lets the princess take several swallows.

Mal grits her teeth when Regina immediately sags, obviously exhausted.

 _She is weaker than any hatchling right now. She needs protection._ Mal places the cillinder down, waves her hand to transport the prey that is now floating on a small layer of water to the back of the cave. It leaves her with enough room to transform, and curl up.

She doesn't sleep. She listens, to the weak heartbeat and the halted breathing. She stares at the opening of the cave. She debates what more she can do to help her human. But she would never sleep when Regina is vulnerable like this.

Dragons do not require sleep as much as humans seem to. Regina sleeps every time the world darkens, and does not open her eyes before even her weak eyes can detect things. Mal takes naps, or only sleeps when changing starts to become difficult. And even that is not truly necessary: she could be rested by just curling up and closing one eye.

She is not as observant like this as she is when she is 'wide awake' , but she would still be able to detect any enemies that come for her princess.

She doesn't detect any, but around hour three, her princess starts to whimper. She changes quickly, then rushes towards her. She growls in the back of her throat: Regina's face is shining because of all the sweat, her eyes are rolling and she is shivering so much that she nearly falls. Mal only hesitates a second before grabbing her shoulder and roughly shaking her awake.

Even for a human, Regina reacts too slowly.

Her eyes are only half-open, and glassy - absent, even. She can't sit without Mal's help, and still needs to be supported as soon as Mal has helped her into a sitting position. She keeps shivering , but mutters that it is too hot. She doesn't want to drink, but her voice is more of croak whenever she speaks.

Mal finally forces some water in her, then allows Regina to fall asleep again. She slowly lowers herself on the ground, enjoys the comfort of her magic quickly changing her. She usually rests with her tail curled around her, but she curls it around Regina now. She closes her right eye again, keeps the other on the opening of the cave.

 _No one will steal you from me, tesoro._


	7. Chapter 7

**I do not own OUAT. Sorry for the long break, and thanks so much for the reviews/follows/favourites! You guys are the best, honestly.**

 **By the way, I inspired the way dragons can reproduce on this magazine/2016/11/basic-instincts-whiptail-lizard-asexual-reproduction/**

 **/2014/07/11/how-these-all-female-lizards-are-able-to-reproduce-and-thrive-without-the-help-of-any-males/**

 **. ?_r=0**

 **I hope you enjoy!**

After Mal had hatched, she quickly learned that you had to be tough. You had to be tougher than a mountain, tougher than dragon scales even. You had to be so tough that no human could hurt you, and no dragon could beat your fire. Dragons are not meant to be soft, or pliable or even have the slightest affection for humans.

Before, there used to be human-dragon settlements. But by the time Maleficent hatched, there had been a horrendous betrayal and one of her first lessons was to never trust a human. To never even allow them to get close, physically or emotionally. In fact, it was better to immediately kill them or fly away. All the other hatchlings were told the same: humans are slippery, awful creatures. They are prey, but be careful. Because they have odd things that could kill you, and strange power that could trap you.

Every night, there were stories to enforce the rule. With the cold of the cave's stone wall almost enough to chill her, she can almost imagine she is at the nest again, listening to the familiar voice. She would lay in the fire's embers and hear all these stories. About dragons who saw human villages being attacked and helped- only to be chased and killed by the people they saved. About dragons that listened to humans dressed in steel, and agreed to help them in their battle – only to be betrayed.

Sometimes, there were dragons who formed friendships. Who fell in love. Who were nothing but loyal and passionate the way dragons are, and whose stories all ended in the most gruesome ways.

So Maleficent knows better than to trust humans. She has lived stories like the ones she used to fall asleep to. So why does she look at her princess, and forgets all of that? Her species' history is filled with tragedies caused by humans, and yet she doesn't see something despicable when she looks at Regina.

Regina is sweat-soaked, her hair matted to her face. She sounds pathetic whenever she whimpers, which is often. Sometimes, she still cannot sit up without help, and falls asleep after even the easiest of tasks such as sipping the drinks Maleficent gets for her. Any dragon would think off her as weak prey, and either leave her to die in dignity and peace, or eat her if they were hungry.

Maleficent has _tried._ She has tried to abandon the princess, but her wings always returned her to this cave, the hoarded objects and the smart, hot-headed yet sweet woman that freed her.

 _Perhaps I feel indebted to her, because she liberated me. Perhaps that is what is causing my unwillingness to leave her._

Maleficent is not stupid though, nor is she oblivious. She knows it is probably far more than that. Especially because she cannot stop thinking about the way her princess bites her lip whenever she gets a spell right. Because she can't stop her own smile at the reminder of what sleeping with Regina in her arms feels like. She knows she is deep trouble, and she should leave because of more than just dragon rules.

"Mal?"

Maleficent slowly lifts her head, and then looks in Regina's direction. She is struggling to sit up, eyes still a little bleary. They quickly clear however, and Maleficent knows that if she had her wings right now, they would be moving and her tail would be sweeping the floor, like it does whenever Regina looks at her like this.

 _Perhaps she actually can read minds, or sense emotions. That could even be a human thing, although I have found no evidence that the ancient stories are true._

" I still despise that nickname" she grumbles.

Regina stretches, and yawns. " Well, you still have not told me your full name so the nickname will have to stay".

Maleficent slowly stands, and prowls towards Regina. "Mal is an insult to my ancestors, who granted me my name after I had proved myself worthy of one. Names are sacred and should be chosen after great consideration and _never_ abbreviated" she growls, climbing on the bed and looming over Regina.

" _I_ like it" _Audacious girl._ Regina's smile just grows, and Maleficent thinks about all the ways she would teach Regina that she is playing with fire. " _Mal_ ".

Maleficent is actually so stunned that she leans back, and forgets to be intimidating. " You have never spoken it that way before" she says. Regina's smile turns a bit shy. Maleficent eyes the blush and feels her cheeks stretch by her own pleased smile. " Do it again" she commands.

Regina rolls her eyes. " You are not in charge of – " her voice trails off when Mal wraps a strand of dark hair around her finger, and leans in even more. " Do it again" she whispers, and smirks when Regina flushes and stammers for a moment.

"Um - Mal?"

" Not like that. Like before. I enjoy it so much more when you speak it like that".

" _Mal_ ".

" Something like that, yes. But- ".

Maleficent glares when Regina pushes her away. " Stop it.

" I was enjoying that".

" What did they make you do?".

Maleficent blinks in confusion at the sudden change in subject. It isn't unfamiliar, as her princess often quickly changes the subject when Maleficent has managed to fluster her quite deliciously, but it doesn't mean she has gotten any better at understanding what is meant.

" You were upset because you only received your name after you had proven yourself worthy. What does that entail?".

 _Ah._ " You are very interested in dragon customs, are you not?".

Maleficent almost smiles as Regina nods eagerly. Then her old training kicks in, and her lips stop twitching. Regina doesn't shy away when Maleficent presses against her, and grabs her chin to yank her head forward. " Why? So that monster Cora can trap and destroy the last of my kind, as soon as you have told her how?"

"No, of course not " Regina protests.

Maleficent slowly lets go. "Why then?".

" Your kind – it is fascinating. You always have been" Regina frowns. " I do not know why. You just always were" She licks her lips. "Mother has never approved of my fascination with your species".

" Perhaps she wished you to be as weak as possible".

" I am not weak" Regina snaps.

Just when it seems like Regina's anger is about to explode, Maleficent speaks again. " No. You are not" she simply states.

" So will you tell me? Please? "

" My kind only receive their names after they have proved themselves. They have to prove themselves strong, courageous and unbreakable".

" How?" Regina questions, settling against the things Maleficent got from a cottage somewhere. She took them because they looked very comfortable, and soft. The farmer was very willing to give her anything she desired. Regina doesn't know this. Maleficent leans against them as well, pleased that she got them even if she would likely have an argument with the princess if Regina ever found out.

" They have a day to find a prey, and kill it. They have another day to return with something taken from humans in a fight. And they have a last day to fight each other" Maleficent waits a beat, then adds " to the Death".

As she expected, Regina is horrified. " _What_ ".

"As you may have noticed, this world is not exactly kind to my species. Only the strongest and most capable survive. It is necessary that only the strongest survive- lest someone traps a weaker dragon, and somehow manages to extract our secrets from them".

"But you are already captured" Regina says, voice soft and eyes even softer.

" Yes. But I assure you that the humans have yet to discover torture methods that will convince any dragon to give up our secrets"

" So you force your children through beastly iniation rituals, only so that _maybe_ they will not tell humans anything? ".

" Do not judge our ways, princess, or do I need to remind you what _your_ kind has done?".

" Not every human would hurt a dragon, many would never - ".

" Look at yourself princess. Is it not custom for humans to lock their kin away, to trap them and treat them as pretty things to be traded?".

"I am not- ".

" They stuck you into a tower, and decided your fate without ever asking you what you wanted. They had no regard for who you are, and who you can become. And you are not alone. There are so many like you, and I know it because the skies are no longer filled with dragons. They are all rotting in the ground, or in what you humans have named 'dungeons'. Waiting to guard a treasure so much more valuable than your kind seems to know, and murdered by someone who only wishes fame and beauty".

" I thought you didn't care about humans " Regina says, turning her face away. Her voice is hoarse, and Maleficent has already seen the tears.

" What makes you think I do? ".

" You sound angry about how we are treated".

"Your species infatuation with towers and princes means my kind has to suffer".

Regina swallows. " Mother and her allies would have made you suffer anyways " she whispers

" Quite likely. But we could have stopped them. Their numbers would have been small enough for them to be no real threat. But now, there are humans with meaningless titles and jewels on their head that wish their daughters to have a dragon guard- and so we are no longer free".

" The books say there are still great numbers of you".

Maleficent laughs, and sees Regina flinch subtly. " We were great, once. But now- so many of us have left, and the ones that are left are fighting a losing battle".

" But you are _dragons._ You can fly for hours and miles- and if legend is true, you can even reach other realms. You breathe fire, fire that is even hotter than mundane fire and burns through our strongest armour. You are nearly immune to magic, and have your own magic. You are gargantuan and strong and terrifying – ".

" And you have great numbers. Even if you are usually divided by greed and intolerance , you still manage to form huge groups with weapons that can fatally wound us. You never surrender, and you remain standing even when you are so small, and so weak. Your kind has no honour, and plenty of cruelty"

" You have a grim view of humankind".

" My little fireball, you forget I have met humans. And you are the first one to show any sign of honour and dignity. You are the first human with dragon qualities".

At first, Maleficent thinks her words have angered Regina or perhaps made her feel some other emotion. They have had conversations like this before, after all, and they often end with Regina yelling or receding back into herself " How many have you met?".

" Too many".

" I thought you only had met mother- that she captured you, and- ".

" I am ancient, mi cielo. I have lived for a long time, and I have met many humans during my lifetime".

" They can't all have been bad".

" Perhaps some were not bad in the beginning. But they soon changed. Which is how I learned how changeable your species are".

Regina scoffs. " And dragons are not?".

" No. As soon as we have matured, we stay true to ourselves. But humans- you seem so uncertain of who you are, and then spend your entire lives changing ".

" But if you have lived a really long time, then surely you have developed as a person and experienced new things and adjusted your beliefs?".

" Not really. Dragons do not have the complicated and odd rules humans seem to have in many cases. I have always just observed and formed my own opinion. Humans come with pre-formed, forced opinions".

" What do you mean?"

" Your kind has rules for every tiny thing. You have thoughts about what each person should be like, what they are and how they ought to behave. This means that as you grow, and become your own person, you change a lot of those 'beliefs'. Dragons are not like that, we are free creatures. The only rules are to be strong, and to survive".

" Rules are necessary- they protect you".

" Perhaps- but your kind overdoes it. I admit I do not fully understand humans, or their customs. But what I have noticed during my travels into human territory, is that some of your rules make no sense. They are not just or there to protect, they take and the majority receives nothing in return ".

" I know that" Regina says, a thousand thoughts and memories flitting through her mind. Her own mother has installed many rules to 'protect' her people, which in reality only increased her own power.

" Do you?".

" Of course I do! I am not oblivious and- " _I have observed mother and her allies for a long time. Even if she did not wish me to_

" _Her_ "

Regina closes her eyes. " Please don't".

" I was not doing anything".

" You despise my mother, do you not? " Regina has to swallow twice ( it hurts, like that time her mother's magical constraints were around her throat, and she only let go when Regina nodded and promised her total obeisance ) and her voice is still only a hoarse whisper.

" There is nothing in that woman- there is just this great hole filled with sickly greed and ambition"

" She is my mother. And she has her flaws, but she- ".

" Do you believe her capable of love?".

" Mal- ".

" Dragons may be harder than the material your people use to kill my kind, and will force their kin through hardships so to strengthen them, but they would never hurt someone the way your mother hurt you. Love is sacred to us. Those we _love_ are sacred to us ".

" Mal- ".

" I know you humans are quicker to spit on those you love, but the way your mother treats you is extreme. Even by human standards, I believe- ".

Maleficent arches her eyebrow when Regina jumps ( actually, it is more like she is falling. The princess is still weak) off the bed and turns to her with the most furious expression Maleficent has ever seen. " She is my mother. She raised me, and cared for me my entire _life._ She just thought her way was the best, and believed that in time, I would agree with her. Just because she was utterly wrong and believes it is more important that I never go hungry and face none of the uncertainties the peasants do , does not mean she doesn't _love_ m-me"

Regina furiously wipes at the few tears that have managed to escape. Maleficent cannot help but admire how she is obviously breaking inside, but she is still poised and has her chin raised. If she did not suspect that that horrid creature had something to do with it, she would be proud with her princess for being able to hold it together like this. But all she can think about is the weeks – or months, time was not really a concept that existed in the dreary, empty room she was kept in- before she was sent off with the princess, and what that _thing_ has done to Regina to make her able to collect herself in two seconds. To make her terrified of showing pain, or love or sadness.

" Regi- "

She was lost in thoughts and memories for too long. Regina is already gone.

* * *

She wants to stay in the cave at first, suspecting that Regina just wishes to be alone right now. But she is only waiting for two minutes when she realizes how much like prey Regina still is. She might be able to sit up again, and even walk, but she is still recovering. She is in the air before she has even really thought it through, and her wings quickly bring her to where Regina is.

She is sitting on a large rock, arms around her knees and body shaking furiously. She doesn't spot Maleficent approaching- probably because her face is hidden, pressed against her own arms. Maleficent flies back a little , placing enough distance between them to respect Regina's desires but not enough to be too late if something would happen.

It is only when Regina stands up, and starts to scream and yell and stump that Maleficent gets closer again. She hovers, carefully watching the princess as she screams and paces on the rock. It is a struggle, but she keeps the distance between them-

Right until the moment Regina's foot slips

Maleficent has caught her princess before her scream has even finished, flies to the shore and carefully drops her. She transforms back, and she steps forward carefully. When Regina doesn't show any sign of being upset at her proximity, she takes another step.

"T-thank you"

Maleficent just nods, and gets even closer. Regina barely flinches, and she pauses. As soon as Regina relaxes again, she gently places her hands on the princess' shoulders and slips them down.

"What a-are you doing?".

" Checking for injuries" she mutters, carefully watching Regina for any signs of discomfort or pain when she slides her hands over Regina's arms, and presses down. She stops with her hands on the princess ' hips when Regina quietly protests.

"What is it?".

" Do you remember our various conversations about what is appropriate and what is decidedly not? This is very inappropriate".

" I have to know whether you are all right".

" I just _told_ you I am".

Maleficent looks up. " Can you be certain?".

Regina huffs. " Is this another dragon thing?".

" Yes".

Maleficent hides her smirk when Regina's eyes light up. " Oh?" she inquires.

" Yes".

" So it is a custom?".

"Yes" Maleficent gently takes Regina's chin and bends it this way and then that way to inspect it for anything that could mean Regina is hurting. " We dragons are very careful with those that have managed to make a good impression on us. And naturally we are instinctual creatures so if there has been any kind of threat to them- " .

Regina gasps when Maleficent lets go of her face only to squeeze her legs for a second. " Do you feel any pain?".

" No".

" Are you certain?".

" Yes".

Maleficent is just starting to kneel when Regina speaks again. " So dragons are very protective?".

" We are more than protective. If anything we care for gets threatened, we can be consumed by the need to heal and then protect it. I know stories of dragons whose lovers got hurt, and they whisked them away to some faraway land and would not even let kin get close".

" But I thought you were solitary creatures- ".

" Yes, but we can still love".

" No, I meant- you speak off your family as though you form close bonds with them. But you do not actually live together, do you?".

" No. But from the hatching onward, we share a strong bond. And we do not fight with each other, or even compete".

"Huh. But how does that- " Regina trails off, eyes widening when Maleficent's fingers gentle brush her ankle and press against it. " You slipped with this foot. Is it okay?".

" Y-yes, it is fine".

" Good. And here?".

" F-fine. So are you close with your p-parents?".

" Bold question, my little fireball".

" Not as bold as your touches" Regina mutters

Maleficent chuckles. " Fair enough" she slowly stands up again, and stares at Regina. She almost expect the princess to look away- she used to do that a lot, ages ago- but Regina raises her chin and stares right back.

" I would not say I am close to my parent".

Regina frowns. " Parent? But what about- ".

" Dragons have several ways to reproduce. One way is – " Maleficent interrupts herself, and enjoys the way Regina blushes and swallows as she gets a smirk sent her way. " You do know about sex, do you not?".

Regina glares at her. " Y-yes – I mean yes, of course I do".

"Are you- ".

" C-can you just explain ? I know all about- " she vaguely gestures and Maleficent chuckles. " Poor dear. I doubt you know much at all".

" I was promised to a prince, remember? I was groomed for marriage, including t _hat_ "

Maleficent takes this moment to come closer, and Regina takes a step back for the first time in months. She calmly grabs Regina's collar, and gently pulls her closer. " I doubt they told you much about it" she leans in even more, chuckling when Regina's eyes widen comically. " Especially the _enjoyable_ aspects. Do you- ".

" Stop it"

Maleficent slowly lets go. " You are no fun" she sighs

Regina crosses her arms, and looks the other way. " I do not enjoy you toying with me. It is offensive".

" All right, princess" Maleficent might not understand _why_ , but she can see the princess is upset so she stops teasing. Her tone is a lot more business-like this time. " There are two ways for my species to reproduce. One requires a male, the other does not".

" Wait, really?" Regina's mouth actually drops, and all the tension leaves her body.

" Yes. We are predominantly female, and most of us can reproduce without males".

" How?".

Maleficent chuckles. " We do not completely understand it ourselves mi cielo, and it is not like we have studied it. We just _do_ ".

" But surely there must be a progress. Is it magic?".

"Not everything is magic".

" But how does this _work_ " Regina gasps, and Maleficent pauses just to look at her. Her eyes are shining, her mouth is slightly open and she just looks so endearing. Maleficent kind of wants to take her far away from civilization, and keep her forever.

" It is rather simple. We lay eggs, do you know that?".

Regina nods. " The books said so. They say you mate in dragon form- ".

" And then lay eggs. This is all true".

" What does that have to do with it though?".

"We still lay eggs even if we do not have sex with a male".

" Oh. But don't you need-"

"Instead one of the other females approaches you - " Maleficent gently grabs Regina's hips and pulls the princess against herself. " And has sex with you, or simulates it- "

"T-that is fascinating" Regina says absent-mindedly.

" Yes. So afterwards, we lay eggs and they become dragons if they are fortunate".

" If they are fortunate? " Regina's eyes flit away from Maleficent's hands on her hips, only to return perhaps two seconds later.

" Not all eggs hatch".

" That is awful. I am so sorry"

Maleficent shrugs " It is quite all right" she gently tugs on a lock of Regina's hair. " Have I satisfied your curiosity now? ".

" Uhm. It is not completely clear, but mostly yes. Although I will probably continue to have many questions" when she sees Maleficent's arched eyebrows, she quickly adds " Not about that, but about your species in general".

" You are fascinated, are you not?"

" Of course I am. You are beautiful and magical and we know so _little_ about you".

" I daresay you know more about us now than all the other humans know combined".

" I hope so. Although I still feel like I do not understand your species".

"I am not sure our species will ever understand each other. Much of your human customs remain a mystery to me as well".

" Like wha- " Maleficent nearly cries out when Regina suddenly stumbles and she only barely catches her. When she automatically places her hand against Regina's forehead, she realizes the woman is burning up. Without thinking about it , she scoops Regina in her arms and transforms again.

She flies faster than she ever has, crashing into the cave and transforming mid-air. Regina has started to groan softly, and she is really radiating heat by now. As soon as Maleficent's feet touch the stone floor, she runs to the bed and lays Regina on it. She has a bucket with cold water next to the bed for this purpose, so she immediately grabs the piece of cloth( Regina really did not enjoy having a bucket full of cold water thrown on her, so she ripped of a part of her sleeve and gave it to Maleficent) next to it, dips it in the water and lays it on Regina's forehead.

Regina seem to sink quickly into a deep slumber, one that seems to have no nightmares for once, so Maleficent relaxes slightly. She leaves her post next to the bed to change into her dragon form and curl around the bed as much as she is able to. She slowly closes one eye, the other one focused on the gaping mouth of their cave.

 _Soon, my little fireball, you will be strong again. And until then, I will protect you._


	8. Chapter 8

**I do not own OUAT**

Memories aren't always things you want to hold on to. Sometimes they're just there, and you would steal your mother's money, offer up your power, anything to get them from your mind. You wouldn't even care whether the procedure was painful, whether they would have to rip open your forehead or drive a knife into your eyeball. Anything better than that loathed, itching memory that won't let you go.

Right now, on top of a dragon and feeling like she will never stop laughing, there's one that's trying to push through all the – she thinks it might be happiness, true all-overpowering happiness. Regina pushes at it, shoves really, but it's clinging on stubbornly.

 _Her mother, raising her hands. Sudden forces pushing at Regina, pushing her until she is in the air, constraints wrapping around her, fingers squeezing her throat and she can't breathe._ Regina loves her mother, and always has. Still, a large part of her just desperately wanted _away._ That part had all to do with the sticky memories, the ones that will never stop hurting her.

She always imagined she would try to outrun them on horseback, but she is running and there aren't any horses.

She is on dragonback, and Regina associates the sky and the wind and the cold with her mother's innovative punishments. It's hard to forget- no, you can't forget. You can just push it down, bury it very deep inside you and drop a million heavy things on it so it can't claw its way up to your eyes. That doesn't seem to be working very well for Regina, either, and she tries to enjoy the warm scales beneath her legs, the sight of a dozen colours, and the comforting sound of Mal's wings-

 **What is it, princess?**

She nearly shrieks, and falls of the dragon when the voice sounds in her head suddenly. She can feel Mal adjust beneath her, moving her body so that Regina can't glide off and she hesitates for a second before sliding her fingers over that spot she accidentally discovered Mal likes to be touched.

"Thank you" she whispers

 **Princess?**

" Bad memories" she just says, burying her face into Mal's neck. The wind is harsh, and even the blanket Mal got her somewhere, and the intense heat from the dragon herself, isn't enough to warm Regina. It doesn't protect her face either.

 **The witch**

Regina doesn't answer, and for a while, there's nothing but the wind howling and her own thoughts muttering and yelling and generally making her feel tired. Then Mal speaks again, and it's a very welcome distraction.

 **I have a few unpleasant memories, as well. Fortunately, they are less bothersome in my dragon form**

Regina would almost suspect Mal is lying, using Regina's fascination with her species to distract her. But there's something – it's pain, but it isn't Regina's. She has never felt like that, like something was ripped out of her.

"What are emotions like in dragon form?"

There's a short pause, and Regina is suddenly aware of how much she's asking. She blushes, about to apologize – **Emotions are less complicated. Humans- you can hate, and love at the same time. You can be very jealous of someone, and still feel happy that they have taken something they desired. In dragon form, there are less emotions and they are not layered. There's lust, and anger, and pain. It's just what it is.**

"Oh" Regina bites her lips. " And love?"

She's pretty sure there was a chuckle. **If we fall in love, it is forever. There is no thing we would not do for our loved ones.**

Regina frowns " You say that like it is uncommon for your kind to fall in love"

 **It is. We are solitary creature by necessity, and we have not many opportunities to be with others of our kind.**

"But you do court if you have the opportunity?"

Regina can feel Mal's confusion. **Court?**

"Yes. When you are interested in someone, or your parents think you will be a good match, you start courting. As soon as you have expressed the will to court and the other has accepted, you will be gifted flowers and go on outings and receive compliments. After an appropriate amount of time, you can be wed"

 **I do know that word. 'Wed'. It is a ceremony performed by your people, yes?**

"Yes. A wedding bounds you together until death"

 **An do you pray to your gods then, little human?**

"We do. There are different ceremonies, and different gods , but praying is often involved"

 **Dragons have no need for silly ceremonies. We promise ourselves to our loved ones, and we proof it by living it. No need for fancy words, and glittering stones**

" I enjoy weddings- or at least, I enjoy the ones that are not convenience ones"

 **Convenience- like yours would have been?**

"Yes, for power or riches. I do not enjoy those. But the ones that are because people love each other so much that they want their very souls bound – those are very beautiful"

 **Have you ever seen one of those?**

"A few. Mother thought it very important to build relationships with powerful people, or people who would be powerful, so we were invited to a fair amount of weddings" she swallows. " Most of them were not for love. But some of them were, and those were just… extraordinary"

 **It is just words and pretty stones being exchanged, is it not?**

" It is more than that- it is about two people who want to be together, who want to build a life together, who really want to live by those words- "

 **Your people have odd ideas about what is important**

" What do you think is important, then?"

 **The strength of your heart, and the courage in your bones.**

Regina closes her eyes. "That is important too, I suppose"

 **You suppose ?** Mal is vaguely insulted, so Regina strokes that spot again, in a gentle apology. "It _is_ important, but you have already decided their strength and courage are enough before you marry. You would not marry them if they did not love you enough. And courage- I think that is less important than kindness"

 **A dragon would never mistreat their loved one. To them, ensuring the happiness of their mate becomes hunger, lust, rest. It becomes another intrinsic feeling, that needs to be satisfied so that a dragon may live.**

Regina is silent for a while, then whispers " It sounds like anyone would be most fortunate if a dragon fell in love with them"

 **My people no longer fall in love with humans.**

Regina gasps " So the stories are true? There used to be human-dragon relationship?"

 **Our species are similar, and many of us used to choose our human form as primary. Until the Dark Clouds, it was common for human and dragon to mate**

"The Dark Clouds?" Regina whispers. It sounds like a horrible curse, a terrible tragedy.

 **The betrayal of the humans. When they attacked dragon kind, and either murdered or took us prisoners.**

Regina feels sick. " We do not call it the Dark Clouds"

 **No?**

Regina shakes her head. " To us, it was an act of heroism. They- "

She flinches when Mal growls lowly, her body vibrating beneath Regina. She soldiers on. " The story they tell us, is that dragons were hurting us. No one dared to let their children play outside, there were so many dragons everywhere. They would sometimes swoop from the sky, and take a child if there wasn't any cattle around- "

 **Lies. Some of those children were human-dragon, we would've protected them with our last breaths-**

Regina gasps, and doubles over. She blinks rapidly, swallows, presses her hand to her stomach. "W-what are you _doing_?"

 **You are feeling my hurt. Our magic is attuned, and-**

" Why does it hurt?" Regina pushes out, feeling the tears slide over her cheeks. She's in so much pain she can't even bring herself to wipe them away.

Mal is silent, but this kind of pain, it must've been something so awful- she has lost someone, hasn't – Regina is reminded of gentle brown eyes, and a gentler smile and it hurts even more now. " Did you lose someone?"

Regina has to grab on more tightly when Mal obviously gets agitated, and she kind of jerks and almost bucks Regina off. Her mother always said Regina asked too many questions, often with a few choice words telling Regina she was a 'stupid, disobedient girl'. She still asks. "Mal?"

 **My daughter.**

The pain makes sense, awful, terrifying, heart-breaking sense. No wonder it hurts so much- Regina doesn't even know what to say. She just clutches Mal's neck, hugging her as much as she is able when Mal is in this form, and whispers " I am sorry"

Meaningless, empty words but maybe they hold some meaning to Mal still , because the hurt lessens until it is an almost bearable throb in her heart and behind her eyes. She just holds on to Mal, and hopes that Mal can feel her as well. That she knows Regina is furious and horrified for her, and that she –

She cares about Mal.

* * *

"It is a castle". She didn't expect it, but it's true: Mal's home is a large castle, one that would be very beautiful were it not for how it is nearly in ruins. There's still a kind of beauty to it, the kind of untameable beauty that she loves in Mal as well. All the plants that are growing on the stones- they turn the stone structure into something special, and less cold somehow ( or maybe that's just how much Regina dislikes castles)

She inhales sharply when there is suddenly a cloak wrapped around her. Mal is in human form again, wordlessly fastening the cloak. She is still not speaking when she gently takes Regina's hands and slowly exhales, little sparks of fire jumping on Regina's hands and slowly melting into her skin.

" Thank you" Regina whispers

Mal nods. " Follow me, princess"

Regina draws the cloak closer to her body, and follows Mal. Usually, she can't take her eyes of the dragon but now she is actually distracted by the flowers - there are thorns and so many colours and patterns- and everything else there is. There's a gargantuan wall, and they have to push through a lot of plants to get through the hidden opening. There are statues, and paths with trees above them. She laughs when she sees the apple tree and Mal plucks one for her.

Inside, the castle is just as strange and wild with an odd kind of beauty.

There's a small layer of dust everywhere, and spider webs and even ash. It's very cold, even though there is a very large fire place. The walls seem to have suffered slightly as well, stains and even cracks ruining the beautiful wallpaper. The furniture isn't much different, as the couches and such are old, and some of the chairs are broken.

" You have not been here for a long time , have you?" Regina asks Mal, nearly jumping when her voice echoes slightly.

" No"

" May I ask why not?"

Mal chuckles. "You are a very polite little curious creature"

Regina bites her lip, and tries not to glare at the woman

"Dragons usually have no permanent homes"

" Oh. So you just moved on?"

" Rouse a fire, little one"

Regina huffs "Stop calling me that"

She is about to add to it, but then Mal suddenly turns around and gets really close. She kind of forgets- well, pretty much everything. " You are inexperienced, and small despite all the fire in you"

" Well, I don't like you calling me that"

" I refuse to call you 'Regina', little fireball"

" It is my name"

"Yes, and your name is a sacred, dangerous thing meant to be protected with my life. To speak it would be to betray your trust"

" But I am not- " she cuts herself off, knowing very well that nothing can bring Mal to what she thinks is disrespecting dragon customs. " Just do not call me 'little one'. I dislike that"

Mal chuckles, and leans in. Regina feels herself flush, but refuses to pull away. " What about 'my little fireball'. Do you accept that?"

" Ye- I mean, yes. I do " Regina almost stammers, and Mal chuckles again.

" I am hungry "she says

"Oh! I will rouse that fire, then" Regina says eagerly, getting over to the fireplace- and turns around to Mal.

"There is no wood, or anything to rouse the fireball"

Mal looks grumpy. " That was not what I meant"

"What?"

"You can rouse a fire using magic. I will get us something to eat"

"Okay, but- " Regina makes a sound of frustration when Mal suddenly vanishes, no doubt off to hunt. " If she throws another sheep at me…" she mutters, then stares at the fire place again. It takes her long minutes before she can bring herself to try , and longer ones before it actually works. But then she smiles proudly –

And jumps when Mal is suddenly behind her, lounging on a chair with a small smirk. "You usually have more fire"

"I am still recovering " Regina protests

" You spent a lot of time recovering"

"I just- " Regina jumps back when a – " Is this a piece of sheep?" Regina demands, holding up the bloody thing Mal threw at her.

" Yes. You can roast it, I suppose"

Regina rolls her eyes. Mal _still_ thinks actually roasting your food is ridiculous. Instead of starting another discussion, Regina kneels by the fire and uses her magic to keep the meat above the fire. She curses when it suddenly drops , and whirls around to glare at Maleficent.

"Why did you break my concentration?"

" Bring me the meat, little fireball"

"Why?"

"I will roast it for you"

Regina manages to extract it from the fire eventually, and drops it in Mal's lap. " Here. You try"

Mal arches an eyebrow, and roasts the sheep before handing it to Regina. " Thank you" she says, and she sounds sullen enough that Mal's eyes glint with amusement. Although she wisely doesn't say anything, and they sit in companionable silence for a while.

" Are we going to stay here for long?" Regina questions as soon as she has finished her dinner.

" I do not know"

" Are we going to stay a month, or a week or even a year?"

" We are going to stay here, until we go somewhere else"

"But- "

" The library may still be intact"

"Do not attempt to distract me"

" There are books on my kind there. We have not written any ourselves of course, but there have been humans staying with us that enjoyed their ink and pens"

"Why won't you tell me how long we will be staying?"

" Because I do not know yet"

"Why did we have to leave the cave?"

"You were strong enough to leave, and it was clear that you wished for a more … human dwelling"

" I appreciated you taking care of me , though" Regina says, thinking to herself that she is indeed glad to be away from that cave. It was very cold, and wet.

"Regardless, you made it clear that you wished something with walls"

The woman says the word with enough disdain that Regina looks at her curiously. " Do you not like your home?"

" I prefer having space to stretch my wings. Human homes seem too much like cages"

Regina thinks of her own home, the rooms she had to keep to unless her mother wished her to impress guests and the tower she was only supposed to leave if there was some royal that took her. " I quite understand that"

Mal studies her for a while, then suddenly stands up. " I will show you the library"

"Thank you"

Mal doesn't answer, just starts to walk, and it honestly drives Regina crazy sometimes. It is rude, and she first thought it was a dragon thing but then she realized Mal was always looking so satisfied whenever she managed to piss Regina off. So now she tries not to react anymore.

She doesn't react this time either, just follows Mal as she leads them down a long hall with- " Are those _skeletons?_ " Regina hisses

" Some of them are prey. Some of them are enemies"

Regina swallows " Enemies?"

" Humans, but also other creatures. The ogres were too large, so they are not here"

" Oh. And – " Regina hesitates, staring at all the skeletons. Some are human-sized, although they're not always human. Sometimes they have wings, or more than two legs. Some are smaller, and they _might_ be dwarves. There are teeth, fangs, wings, and things Regina doesn't even recognize.

" Is that a dragon custom?"

"To preserve the bones of your enemies? It is not an official customs, but many dragons keep the bones in their homes, along with their treasures"

"Oh "Regina is silent for a while, staring at all the skeletons and trying to not remember what kind of people they used to be. " Did you ever lose?"

" Dragons forfeit their lives if they lose fights"

"So you didn't ?"

" I never lost a fight, no "

There's something about the way Mal says it that has Regina curious, but just when she is starting to ask, they reach a door and Mal pushes it open. Regina slowly walks past her, staring. It is a gargantuan library, even larger than her mother's, and there are books everywhere. There's a small fireplace, and a corner with couches and such.

There's also a covered portrait and she slowly walks over to it. " What is- " she gasps when Mal suddenly moves behind her, and grabs her wrist almost roughly. Her eyes are glowing like when she transforms.

"This place is yours, but you will not uncover this"

Regina slowly nods. " All right" she can almost feel Mal's pain again, no matter how well she keeps it hidden, and pushing the subject would mean hurting Mal. That's the last thing she wants.

Mal slowly lets her go. " I will be outside. If you wish for my presence, just call my name"

Regina doesn't know why she does it. Maybe it is because Mal was in so much pain, or she looks sad somehow. And the castle itself doesn't seem to bring many happy memories, either ( or maybe they do, but they're tainted because the reason they're happy, is gone) Whatever the reason, she is suddenly throwing her arms around Mal, and pulling her close.

She smells like wild flowers and matches, and she feels so incredibly warm. She tenses for a moment, but then slowly throws her arms around Regina as well. Regina holds on as tightly as possible, for as long as she thinks Mal might need it- or tolerate it.

When she pulls back, Mal almost doesn't let her. Regina curses herself a little too, as there was something so special- she really doesn't understand what she is feeling.

" Thank you" she says, and receives a smile from the dragon. Like usually, she has to keep herself from gushing about that smile. Before she can make Mal unbearably smug, the dragon is already moving away from her.

And Regina is left alone, with at least a thousand secrets in the pages around her.

* * *

 _Dragons are not like animals. There's still a debate about whether to classify them as human/humanoids or animals, but I lean in favour of the former. There is an intelligence to everything they do, from hunting to flying, and I have had many enjoyable conversations with the dragons who allowed me to. They regard human customs , and indeed humanity as a whole, as unnecessary and seem to adapt the expression 'it is how it is' to most things- yet, they have deep thoughts, and profound ideas._

 _To me, what makes their humanity most obvious, is the way they love. Their friends are forever, and they would kill and die for them without thought. Their 'mates' ( they use this most often to refer to lovers, but I have heard them refer to friends the same way) are those they value most, and they act around with a kind of thoughtfulness and understanding that is mind-baffling to most of us. And their children-_

 _Everything their children do, is a source of joy for the dragon. No matter how difficult or exhausting parenting gets, Dragon parents fulfil their duties in a way that makes it seem like they have never wanted anything else, but to be there for their children. They are fiercely loving, eternally proud and the most protective creatures there can possibly be._

 _Even more special, is that it is not just their own children they treat this way. Dragons are notorious for taking in abandoned young, and raising them with the same love they hold for their own. I have seen them pick up human children during hunts, and safely carry them in their claws to the cave ( or other dwelling) to care for them. No matter how hungry the dragon, it seems to be a very rare thing for them to eat children_

 _Unlike the vicious rumours that have been circulating, dragons seem more likely to eat their own tails than human children. In fact, there's an old dragon adage – 'to harm a young, is to destroy a kindling fire'- that suggests harming children is one of the only thing dragons consider worthy of very harsh punishments._

"Is that true?" Regina looks up from the journal to ask Mal the question. The dragon is curled up ( in human form) in one of the chairs, studying her quietly. She has returned from the hunt quickly, not giving any explanation for why she did not stay outside- somewhere she is obviously more comfortable.

" Is what true, my little fireball?"

" That dragons raised children that were not their own"

" There have been humans that were abandoned by their own, and instead were claimed by dragon parents"

"But they could not turn"

" It did not matter. They were kin – scales or skin, they belonged with their parents"

" But did they not care does children were different?"

" No. They were part of them, as all our loved ones are. They had dragon hearts and dragon minds, and that all they needed to have"

" That is beautiful " Regina says, with a smile

She is silent for a while, reading the next entries about hunting and teaching, when she looks up again with a small frown. " Is that what I am to you, a daughter?"

" No "Mal just says, infuriatingly not elaborating

" Are we friends, then?"

" Among other things" Mal says, giving Regina one of those looks that have become norm the last time. They leave Regina flushing, and her stomach behaving so oddly, she honestly thought she was ill at first.

She turns back to the test quickly, deciding that she is not going to waste her time questioning the dragon that likes to be as vague and unhelpful as possible. Even though Regina is feeling odd around Mal, and has so many questions-

Why does Regina want to be so close to her- is that a thing they use to hunt? Why can she never stop staring, even when Mal does not use her eyes to hypnotize her ( has not fully been able to for a while now) Why do Regina's heart and stomach act that way around her- is it magic?

She startles out of her thoughts when fingers drag a path down her cheek, to capture a lock that had escaped, and playfully tug at it. Mal rests head on Regina's shoulder, continuing to play with Regina's hair.

"You can't do that"

"Another human custom, my little fireball?"

" No, just- " it feels too good, Regina wants to say. You make me feel things, when you get that close. And I don't know whether it is good that I feel this around you, or whether it is dangerous.

" You enjoy this" Mal presses even closer to Regina, an intense heat at her back.

"Do you enjoy it?"

Mal slowly lets go of her hair, and sits down next to her before Regina can even feel disappointed. She pulls Regina in her lap two seconds later, and continues playing with her hair. "I enjoy this more"

"Oh "

" Are your human customs all right with this?"

" No, not at all" Regina absent-mindedly answers, caught in – well everything. Mal's arms around her, her nose pressed into Regina's neck, the quiet sounds she makes, the way she plays with Regina's hair- it's, it's-

Mal chuckles " Such silly things"

Regina doesn't comment, but she doesn't tell Mal to let her go either. Perhaps she should feel trapped, as the woman is a great deal stronger than her and did not ask for permission. She is dangerous as well. There are reasons Regina should be displeased, or at least uncomfortable, but instead it feels right. Natural. Easy.

The fire cackles softly. Her tea is made exactly as she likes it, and the book she is engrossed in is absolutely fascinating. And everything Mal does is just so good, that Regina never wants to tell her 'no'.

Life is good, like this.


End file.
